O CONHECIMENTO SOBRE O MEDICAMENTO E A LITERACIA EM SAÚDE. UM ESTUDO EM ADULTOS UTENTES DE FARMÁCIAS DO CONCELHO DE LISBOA

Recent studies developed by Portuguese pharmacies showed high percentages of non-adherents to medication therapies. As a result, their health problems are not adequately controlled and medicines waste is a consequence. In order to use medicines, individuals need knowledge, competencies and motivation. Medication information is made available through verbal communication and written materials, but it remains unknown how literacy skills of Portuguese allow them to obtain, use and understand that specific information when they need to use medicines. The aim of this study is to evaluate medication knowledge in patients aged 45 to 64 years and its relationship with health literacy skills. A cross-sectional study was designed and patients recruited for interview in pharmacies located in Lisbon district when medicines were dispensed. Two hundred and thirty-tree patients volunteered to participate. They were predominantly female, with an average age 57 years (sd=5.7), still active workers, and with 9 years of education or less (58.5%) and had reading habits (reading frequently – 26% – or very frequently – 30%). Medication knowledge was on average 10.48 correct answers (sd=1.779) and found to be independent from patient age (p=0.131) and sex (p=0.791). However it increases with school grade (p=0.000), professional category (p=0.000), reading practices (p=0.000), comprehension index (p=0.003), intensity of reading health information (p=0.005), readiness to use medicine information leaflet (p=0.027), calculation practices (p=0.018) and utilization time (p=0.047). Among all literacy proxy variables analyzed, school grade, comprehension index and intensity of reading health materials were the main determinants of medication knowledge, although weakly predictable of knowledge level (R2=0.013). This study highlights that patient medication knowledge is positively influenced by health literacy skills. Health interventions that aim to improve medicine use or adherence and communications strategies to inform about medicines or health – verbal and written – should take into account health literacy level of the population.