Discrepancies in the use of medications: their extent and predictors in an outpatient practice.

Background: Misuse of medications is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Few studies have examined the frequency of, and factors associated with, discrepancies between what doctors prescribe and what patients take in actual practice.

Patients And Methods: Patients' medication bottles and their reported use of medications were compared with physicians' records of outpatients seen between November 1997 and February 1998 in a private practice affiliated with an academic medical center in Boston, Mass.