| ■ Written Tables Help Older Adults Prevent Medication Errors | 2008.09.16 |
| Having older adults fill out simple tables that track their medications may help prevent medication mix-ups, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reported. Their study found an improvement in medication-related problems when older adults filled out a written "medtable" listing medications and instructions by days and times to take them, United Press International reported. The better results were especially evident among participants who had complex medication schedules. The study appears in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Many older adults have to take a number of prescription medications. The researchers said about half of older adults take medicines incorrectly and up to a third of their hospital admissions are caused by incorrect medicine use, UPI reported. |