Table 1.
Patient Characteristics by Presence of ≥1 Medication Error
| Variable | No Medication Errors (n=185) | ≥1 Medication Error (n=95) | Total Participants (n=280) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | ||||
| Mean (SD) | 57.9 (13.2) | 60.1 (14.3) | 58.7 (13.6) | 0.199 |
| <40 y, % | 9.2 | 7.4 | 8.6 | 0.606 |
| >60 y, % | 43.8 | 46.3 | 44.6 | 0.687 |
| Sex | ||||
| Women, % | 82.2 | 85.3 | 83.2 | 0.511 |
| Body mass index, mean (SD), kg/m2 a | 29.2 (6.4) | 31.4 (7.4) | 30.0 (6.8) | 0.714 |
| Employment status | ||||
| Unemployed, % | 53.0 | 58.9 | 55 | 0.341 |
| Education | ||||
| Years of school, mean (SD) | 5.1 (4.5) | 4.6 (4.0) | 4.9 (4.4) | 0.359 |
| No education, % | 30.3 | 25.3 | 28.6 | 0.380 |
| Household size, mean (SD) | 5.3 (3.6) | 5.5 (3.2) | 5.4 (3.4) | 0.583 |
| Monthly income | ||||
| Below poverty line, %b | 46.5 | 50.5 | 47.9 | 0.522 |
| Active tobacco use | ||||
| Smoking cigarettes or inhaling snuff, % | 9.7 | 7.4 | 8.9 | 0.512 |
| Any alcohol use, % | 9.7 | 13.7 | 11.1 | 0.318 |
| Comorbidities (not HIV) | ||||
| ≥1, % | 43.8 | 62.1 | 50.0 | 0.004 |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 16.2 | 31.6 | 21.4 | 0.003 |
| HIV status | ||||
| Positive, % | 14.1 | 13.7 | 13.9 | 0.534 |
| CVD risk scorec | ||||
| >10%, % | 12.4 | 29.5 | 18.2 | 0.005 |
| CVD pill burden, mean (SD)d | 4.1 (3.5) | 5.5 (4.0) | 4.6 (3.8) | 0.002 |
| Medications named, mean, % | 40.5 | 27.1 | 35.9 | 0.021 |
| Health literacy test, mean, % | 60.0 | 56.6 | 58.8 | 0.282 |
| Suboptimal medication reconciliation, %e | 18.4 | 31.6 | 22.9 | 0.013 |
| No. of clinic visits | ||||
| Time period: 1 y, mean (SD) | 10.6 (5.3) | 10.0 (4.9) | 10.4 (5.2) | 0.389 |
CVD indicates cardiovascular disease.
a
A total of 220 patients had height measurements to calculate body mass index. This included 73 patients (76.8%) with ≥1 medication error and 147 patients (78.5%) without medication errors.
b
Below poverty line: <$2/day, <600 pula/month.
c
World Health Organization Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score.
d
The number of pills prescribed daily to treat hypertension and diabetes mellitus and prevent CVD.
e
Patients unable to name their home medications and did not bring their home medications to the study interview.