Are medication record cards useful?

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Abstract
To assess the use of patient-held medication record cards and their acceptability to patients and doctors. Prospective 12-month study with data collection at baseline and on three subsequent occasions at four-monthly intervals. 187 patients with a mean age of 78.4 years (range, 60-101) were taking a mean of 5.8 medications each (range, 1-18). They lived on Sydney's lower north shore and were able to care for themselves. Availability of card on request, frequency of use, status of recorders and accuracy of records (checked by inspection of medications at home). Most patients retained their cards, but the proportion who presented it to their doctor fell from 61% to 23% over the 12 months (P < 0.0001), and the proportion with accurately recorded drug regimens ranged from 20% down to 16%. Of the 75 regimens written exclusively by general practitioners in the 12 months, only 19 (25%) were consistent with what the patients were actually taking. Medication record cards introduced into the doctor-patient relationship by a "third-party" are unlikely to result in better quality use of medicines.

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