Misunderstanding Medicine Labels pose serious issue for elderly

Misreading medicine labels put elderly at risk of dying

According to researchers a University of College London, a third of the 8000 elderly patients in a study had an increased rate of dying due to misunderstanding medicine labels.  The study asked comprehension style questions such as ‘What is the maximum number of days you may take this medicine?’ and ‘List three situations for which you should consult a doctor’. Answers to the questions could be found on the medicine labels.  One third of the participants, aged 52 and over, failed to answer all four questions correctly.  The study also showed  that one in eight got two or more wrong answers.

The study was held over a five year period and in that time 621 of the participants  passed away.  The most likely to pass were those found to have poor literacy.  The study states “Specifically, 16 per cent of those who got two or more answers wrong died, nine per cent of those who got one wrong died, while only six per cent of those who answered all questions correctly did so.”

Interestingly, dementia and bad eyesight did not prove to have an impact.  Improving children’s literacy is a powerful tool in bettering public health concludes the study.

 

 
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