Pilot Study on the Utility and Feasibility of a House-Call Checkup of the Medicine Cabinet

Abstract

The storage at home of medicines is a poorly researched topic, but it can be a major source of medication errors and other unsafe practices. In this pilot-study, we wanted to get an idea of the scope of the problem and research the feasibility and acceptability of a home-based intervention by a pharmacist. In a convenience sample of 48 households, we encountered numerous problems in a sizable percentage of households. Medicines were frequently not stored out of reach of children, usage instructions and indications were unknown, organization was absent, and there were a plethora of expired medicines present. Refrigeration was less of a problem. Acceptability and perception of utility of the intervention were generally very high. We developed a protocol-based intervention to be used in future research to increase the safe use of medicines at home.

Keywords

• medicine cabinet
• house-call
• refrigeration
• medication safety
• medication literacy
• expiration date