[Pharmacological treatment adherence by older patients after hospital discharge]. / Adherencia al tratamiento farmacológico en pacientes ancianos tras el alta hospitalaria.

UNLABELLED: Little information is available on drug adherence in older patients after discharge or on predictors of non-adherence. OBJECTIVES: To determine the rate of treatment adherence and associated factors in elderly patients after hospital discharge with a view to identifying opportunities for improvement. METHOD: We performed a cross-sectional study of 70 patients aged over 65 years old discharged from an internal medicine unit who were self-sufficient regarding treatment management. RESULTS: Only 8.6% of patients complied with the recommended treatment. Eighty-five percent of the drugs were taken incorrectly: 67% were taken in excess, 33% were taken less than prescribed, and 54% were taken without following the recommendations concerning timetable and food intake. The most frequent reasons identified by the patients for not taking the medication correctly were lack of knowledge and forgetfulness. The most frequent risk factors were male gender, living with adult siblings, and taking a large number of prescribed medicines. Information given by the doctor about the treatment and assistance from a friend or relative at home increased adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment adherence after hospital discharge in patients aged over 65 years old is very low. Instruments should be sought to counter forgetfulness and recommendations should be adapted to improve patients' knowledge of prescriptions.

Political issues in internal medicine in Europe.

What will be the future of Internal Medicine in Europe? Because of rapidly growing concerns regarding the position of Internal Medicine in many European countries, the European Federation of Internal Medicine has established a working group to analyze the situation. Being well aware of the variation of working practices in the different countries, the members of the group used an "all-European" approach to answer the following questions: Are there problems for Internal Medicine, what problems and why? Why do the health care systems of the European countries need Internal Medicine? Why do the patients need Internal Medicine? What needs to be done? Internal Medicine is the modern, clinical and scientific medical discipline taking care of adult patients with one or more complex, acute or chronic illnesses. Internal Medicine is the cornerstone of integrated health care delivery service that is needed today. Decision-makers in politics and hospitals, insurers, journalists and the general public need a better understanding of what Internal Medicine can offer to the health care system and to the individual patient.

Political issues in internal medicine in Europe. A position paper.

What will be the future of internal medicine in Europe? Because of rapidly growing concerns regarding the position of internal medicine in many European countries, the European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM) has established a working group to analyze the situation. Being well aware of the variation in working practices in the different countries, the members of the group used an "all-European" approach to answer the following questions: Internal medicine is the modern, clinical, and scientific medical discipline that is responsible for the care of adult patients with one or more complex, acute, or chronic illnesses. Internal medicine is the cornerstone of an integrated health care delivery service that is needed today. Decision-makers in politics and hospitals, insurers, journalists, and the general public need a better understanding of what internal medicine can offer to the health care system and to the individual patient.