The Impact of Home Medication Management Practices on Medication Adherence

Abstract

Background: Medication adherence is a vexing challenge, with over 50% of US adults not adhering to their prescribed medication regimen. Most medications are self-administered by patients at home, requiring them to independently develop and manage their own medication routines. By understanding these home-based practices, such as where patients store their medications and how different storage locations impact adherence, we can develop targeted interventions to improve adherence rates. Objectives: Our goal was to identify and categorize home medication management practices and determine which practices are associated with medication adherence. Methods: We designed and deployed a survey to investigate home medication management. The study protocols were approved by Tufts University Health Sciences Institutional Review Board (IRB). Results: The survey found that the most common places people store their medications at home are nightstand drawers (28%), on top of nightstands (27%), kitchen cabinets (22%), and bathroom medicine cabinets (20%). Kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities were significantly associated with increased odds of having ever forgotten to take a medication. On the other hand, desks, dining room tables, and the inside of nightstand drawers were associated with the greatest statistically significant decrease in odds of having ever forgotten to take a medication. Almost all (96%) respondents were receptive to receiving guidance from healthcare providers on how to store medications. Conclusions: Patients are mainly responsible for creating their own home medication management practices, including deciding where to store their medication at home. Understanding which home storage locations are associated with medication adherence can help develop innovative approaches to improve adherence, including personalized guidance to patients from their healthcare providers for patients.