Mental Status and Self-Medication Ability in the Hospitalized Elderly

ABSTRACTThis 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.