Section 5: Medication Use
Number of Prescription Medications
“Do you use 5 or more prescriptions on a regular basis?”
This is an asterisked item, and as such, input from an accompanying person may be allowed depending on the result of the Clock Drawing Test.
Some things to keep in mind when counting medications:
Only count prescription medication (herbals, vitamins and probiotics are NOT to be included, unless they were prescribed by a physician, or other regulated health professional)
Don’t forget to count prescribed medications that are not pills, such as inhalers
Prescription medications taken on a regular basis should be counted, even if only prescribed “as needed” (Interviewee perspective and clinical judgement should be used in order to define regularly)
Medication Adherence
“At times, have you forgotten to take your prescription medication?”
Unlike the question about number of medications, this question is a non-asterisked item and should be self-rated. If the Interviewee a compliance aid, such as a blister pack or a dosette, in order take their prescription, a score of 0 is still applied if Interviewee has proper compliance.
