[Evaluation of a medication self-management education program for elders with hypertension living in the community].

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a medication self-management education program on medication awareness, communication with health care provider, medication misuse behavior, and blood pressure in elders with hypertension. METHODS The research design for this study was a non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design. Participants were 23 elders for the control group, and 26 elders for the experimental group. The experimental group participated in the medication self-management education program which included the following, verbal education, 1:1 consultation, practice in medication self-management, and discussion over 5 sessions. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 18.0 program. RESULTS There were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control group for medication awareness, medication misuse behavior, and communication with health care providers. However, no significant difference was found between the two groups for blood pressure. CONCLUSION The results indicate that the education program is effective in improving medication awareness and communication with health care providers and in decreasing medication misuse behavior. Therefore, it is recommended that this education program be used as an effective intervention for improving medication self-management for elders with hypertension.