The aim of this project was to identify variables that predicted older adults' ability to manage medications.
The study used a retrospective cohort design and was set in a self-medication program within a rehabilitation hospital. A random sample of charts from 301 participants in the self-medication program was reviewed.
Logistic regression models accounted for 26.7% and 55.8% of the variance in the probability of making one or more self-medication errors during the initial and final weeks of the program, respectively. The importance of cognition in predicting medication management capacity was seen in bivariate and multivariate analyses and through a number of interactions with other predictors. Statistically significant predictors in one or both analyses included medication regimen complexity, Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score, duration of institutionalization, depression, and interactions between (a) medication regimen complexity and MMSE score and (b) ability to cook and MMSE score.
The direct effects of cognition and medication regimen complexity were important predictors of medication management capacity.