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Mental Status and Self-Medication Ability in the Hospitalized Elderly

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Louise Patrick  and
Katharine Howell
Louise Patrick
Affiliation:
SCO Hospital, Ottawa
Katharine Howell
Affiliation:
University of Waterloo
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Abstract

This study investigated the relationships among several aspects of cognitive functioning and the outcome of self-medication training in hospitalized elderly patients. Data from 53 geriatric patients who received rehabilitation treatment at the SCO Hospital in Ottawa, Canada between 1992 and 1997 were collected, on an archival basis. Patients began a graduated self-medication program after undergoing a neuropsychological evaluation. Performance scores from five different aspects of cognition were regressed on the self-medication training outcome measures. Findings revealed that aspects of cognitive functioning were significantly related to the outcome of self-medication training. Thus, psychometric measures of cognition can be useful in predicting which patients are most likely to benefit from a self-medication program, or alternatively, those who would require a modified program to be able to learn. The clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Résumé

Cette étude examinait le lien entre plusieurs aspects du fonctionnement cognitif et le résultat d'un entraînement en automédication chez les patients âgés hospitalisés. Les données ont été tirées des dossiers de 53 patients gériatriques ayant reçu un traitement de réadaptation à l'Hôpital SCO, entre 1992 et 1997. Les patients ont tous commencé graduellement un programme d'automédication après avoir subi une évaluation neuropsychologique. L'impact du programme d'automédication sur cinq dimensions du fonctionnement cognitif a été mesuré à partir d'une analyse de régression. Les résultats ont révélé que certains aspects du fonctionnement cognitif étaient significativement liés aux résultats de l'entraînement en automédication. Par conséquent, les mesures psychométriques de la cognition peuvent être utiles pour prédire quels patients ont le plus de chance de bénéficier du programme d'automédication et ceux qui auront besoin d'un programme modifié pour pouvoir apprendre un nouveau schéma posologique. L'article traite des conséquences cliniques de ces résultats.

Keywords

Self-Medication SkillRehabilitationGeriatricCognitionAptitude à l'automédicationréadaptationgériatriecognition
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , Hiver/Winter 1998 , pp. 425 - 439
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1998

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