{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T06:08:31Z","timestamp":1779170911917,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779148800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Polypharmacy is common in the older population and is recognized as a geriatric syndrome. The self-administration of medication is complex and requires cognitive and physical capacities that decrease with age. To avoid medication errors or harm, medication management capacity needs to be thoroughly assessed in routine clinical care. Here, we report on measuring self-reported medication management capacity in older polymedicated patients in primary care in an exploratory study using a questionnaire developed in the \u201cAbility to Self-administer Medication in Non-demented In-hospital Patients\u201d (ABLYMED) study.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>102 patients (\u226570 years of age, regularly taking \u22655 different medicines autonomously) from a single general practice in Germany were included from March to November 2024. Patients were interviewed using a questionnaire developed in the ABLYMED study. It consists of 30 questions covering the three domains adherence [16 questions including 5 questions of the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS\u00a9 Professor Rob Horne)], handling (8 questions) and belief\/attitude\/knowledge (6 questions).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The median (Q1; Q3) age of the study sample was 77 years (74; 84), 39% were male. In the domain adherence, 20% of the patients reported running out of medication and 5% reported mixing up medication, which is very relevant to safety of medication use. Regarding handling problems, eye drops were identified as the most challenging dosage form, with 40% of patients reporting difficulties. Furthermore, 19% of the sample reported handling problems due to problems with opening packages. In the domain belief\/attitude\/knowledge, only 15% of the patients did not know the rationale behind all of their medications and only 3% did not express a positive perception of their benefits.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our study showed that a high proportion of older patients from a general practice (up to 40%) reported medication handling problems. These results were similar to those observed in the ABLYMED sample of hospital in-patients. Future studies need to concentrate on the implementation of interventions to address patients' self-reported medication management problems.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1834501","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T05:40:04Z","timestamp":1779169204000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Self-reported problems in medication self-management in older polymedicated patients in general practice"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Anneke","family":"Luegering","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Pharmacy, Medical Faculty and University Hospital D\u00fcsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University D\u00fcsseldorf","place":["D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany"]},{"name":"Center for Health and Society, Institute of General Practice, Medical Faculty and University Hospital D\u00fcsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University D\u00fcsseldorf","place":["D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tatjana","family":"Richter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical Faculty and University Hospital D\u00fcsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University D\u00fcsseldorf","place":["D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Albert","family":"Lukas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geriatrics, St. Martinus Hospital","place":["D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Robert","family":"Langner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty and University Hospital D\u00fcsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University D\u00fcsseldorf","place":["D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany"]},{"name":"Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behavior), Research Center J\u00fclich","place":["J\u00fclich, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stefan","family":"Wilm","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Health and Society, Institute of General Practice, Medical Faculty and University Hospital D\u00fcsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University D\u00fcsseldorf","place":["D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Thorsten R.","family":"Doeppner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Klinikum Emden","place":["Emden, Germany"]},{"name":"Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies (SABITA), Istanbul Medipol University","place":["Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"]},{"name":"Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Varna","place":["Varna, Bulgaria"]},{"name":"Department of Neurology, University of G\u00f6ttingen","place":["G\u00f6ttingen, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dirk M.","family":"Hermann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS) University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen","place":["Essen, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Helmut","family":"Frohnhofen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical Faculty and University Hospital D\u00fcsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University D\u00fcsseldorf","place":["D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany"]},{"name":"Faculty of Health, University Witten Herdecke","place":["Witten, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carla","family":"Stenmanns","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical Faculty and University Hospital D\u00fcsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University D\u00fcsseldorf","place":["D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Janine","family":"Gronewold","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS) University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen","place":["Essen, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"200","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17010200","article-title":"Daily Medication Management and Adherence in the Polymedicated Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Study in Portugal","volume":"17","author":"Gomes","year":"2019","journal-title":"IJERPH."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e5880","DOI":"10.1002\/pds.5880","article-title":"Prevalence of polypharmacy in elderly population worldwide: a systematic review and 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Deprescribing through shared decision making","volume":"353","author":"Jansen","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"483","DOI":"10.1007\/s40266-020-00764-z","article-title":"Measuring medication self-management capacity: a scoping review of available instruments","volume":"37","author":"Badawoud","year":"2020","journal-title":"Drugs Aging."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1016\/j.addr.2018.08.003","article-title":"Challenges and innovations of delivering medicines to older adults","volume":"135","author":"Gnjidic","year":"2018","journal-title":"Adv Drug Deliv Rev."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"186","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pec.2004.11.005","article-title":"Can elderly people take their medicine?","volume":"59","author":"Beckman","year":"2005","journal-title":"Patient Educ Couns."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2318-9-27","article-title":"Standardised assessment of patients' capacity to manage medications: a systematic review of published instruments","volume":"9","author":"Elliott","year":"2009","journal-title":"BMC Geriatr."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-024-04893-7","article-title":"Tools to measure barriers to medication management capacity in older adults: a scoping review","volume":"24","author":"Baby","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Geriatr"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1207","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJM199004263221707","article-title":"Instruments for the functional assessment of older patients","volume":"322","author":"Desforges","year":"1990","journal-title":"N Engl J Med."},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/9.3_Part_1.179","article-title":"Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living","volume":"9","author":"Lawton","year":"1969","journal-title":"Gerontologist."},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1002\/j.2055-2335.2010.tb00723.x","article-title":"Review of Instruments used in clinical practice to assess patients' ability to manage medications","volume":"40","author":"Elliott","year":"2010","journal-title":"Pharm Pract Res."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"466","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-022-03147-8","article-title":"Developing a novel tool to assess the ability to self-administer medication in non-demented in-hospital patients: ABLYMED study protocol","volume":"22","author":"Maiworm","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Geriatr."},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"559","DOI":"10.3238\/arztebl.m2023.0144","article-title":"Problems in medication self-management by elderly patients","volume":"120","author":"Luegering","year":"2023","journal-title":"Dtsch Arztebl Int."},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"574","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2753.2009.01169.x","article-title":"Assessing reported adherence to pharmacological treatment recommendations","volume":"16","author":"Mahler","year":"2010","journal-title":"Translation and evaluation of the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) in Germany. J Eval Clinic Pract."},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1281","DOI":"10.1111\/bcp.14193","article-title":"The medication adherence report scale: a measurement tool for eliciting patients' reports of nonadherence","volume":"86","author":"Chan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Brit J Clinical Pharma."},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"555","DOI":"10.1016\/S0022-3999(99)00057-4","article-title":"Patients' beliefs about prescribed medicines and their role in adherence to treatment in chronic physical illness","volume":"47","author":"Horne","year":"1999","journal-title":"J Psychosom Res."},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1037\/t02366-000","article-title":"THE BARTHEL INDEX","volume":"14","author":"Mahoney","year":"1965","journal-title":"Md State Med J."},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"284","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-026-07077-7","article-title":"Factors associated with medication self-management performance in the \u201cability to self-administer medication in non-demented in-hospital patients\u201d (ABLYMED) study","volume":"26","author":"Luegering","year":"2026","journal-title":"BMC Geriatr."},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1392","DOI":"10.1038\/s41433-019-0665-y","article-title":"Eye drop technique and patient-reported problems in a real-world population of eye drop users","volume":"34","author":"Mehuys","year":"2020","journal-title":"Eye."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"168","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/21.3.168","article-title":"Practical problems with eye-drops among elderly ophthalmology outpatients","volume":"21","author":"Burns","year":"1992","journal-title":"Age Ageing."},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"559","DOI":"10.1002\/pts.2048","article-title":"critical factors in opening pharmaceutical packages: a usability study among healthcare workers, women with rheumatoid arthritis and elderly women","volume":"27","author":"Sormunen","year":"2014","journal-title":"Packag Technol Sci."},{"key":"B22","first-page":"38","article-title":"Assessing geriatric patients' ability to functionally manage medication packaging","volume":"60","year":"2007","journal-title":"Can J Hosp Pharm."},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"afac225","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/afac225","article-title":"The neglected barrier to medication use: a systematic review of difficulties associated with opening medication packaging","volume":"51","author":"Angel","year":"2022","journal-title":"Age and Ageing"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"55","DOI":"10.3238\/arztebl.m2024.0214","article-title":"Assessing medication self-management by the elderly\u2014a comparison of subjective and objective indicators from the ABLYMED study","volume":"122","author":"Luegering","year":"2025","journal-title":"Dtsch Arztebl Int."},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1365","DOI":"10.1007\/s00228-023-03548-7","article-title":"What do older patients know about their medication? A cross-sectional, interview-based pilot study","volume":"79","author":"Krause","year":"2023","journal-title":"Eur J Clin Pharmacol."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1834501\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T05:40:06Z","timestamp":1779169206000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1834501\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]]},"references-count":25,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1834501"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1834501","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]]},"article-number":"1834501"}}