Robyn Gillespie|Judy Mullan|Lindsey Harrison
Attitudes towards deprescribing and the influence of health literacy among older Australians
University of Wollongong|Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute|University of Wollongong|University of Wollongong
abstract aim study aimed explore attitudes beliefs experiences regarding polypharmacy discontinuing medications deprescribing among community living older adults aged 65 years using 5 medications also aimed investigate health literacy capabilities influenced attitudes beliefs towards deprescribing background polypharmacy use common among australian older adults however little known attitudes towards polypharmacy use towards stopping medications previous studies indicate health literacy levels tend lower older adults resulting poor knowledge medications methods selfadministered survey conducted using two previously validated tools patients attitude towards deprescribing patd tool measure attitudes towards polypharmacy use deprescribing aspects health literacy scale aahls measure functional communicative critical health literacy descriptive statistical analysis conducted findings 137 responses showed 80 thought medications necessary comfortable number taken wanting reduce number medications taken associated concerns amount taken p lt0001 experiencing side effects p lt0001 believing one medications longer needed p lt0000 using ten medications likely want reduce number taken p 0019 88 respondents would willing stop medications context receiving advice doctor willingness consider stopping correlated higher scores critical health literacy subscale p lt0021 overall aahls score p lt0009 higher scores overall aahls measure likely report understood medications prescribed p lt0000 likely participate decisionmaking p 0027 opportunities proactively consider deprescribing may missed one third respondents could recall recent review medications