Using patient preference to customize a patient's medication list.

Objective: The primary objective was to identify medication-list components preferred by patients. Secondary objectives included identifying a patient-preferred medication-list template, measuring change in patient knowledge and responsibility after using a medication list tailored to patient preference and assessing patient utilization of a personalized medication list.

Design: 12-week prospective presurvey and postsurvey from January 2010 to March 2011.

Setting: Anticoagulation Clinic in Downers Grove, Illinois, with approximately 400 patients.

Patients: 53 English-speaking patients, 18 years of age or older, and taking eight or more medications. Cognitively and/or visually impaired patients were excluded.

Intervention: Consenting subjects completed the prequestionnaire. Patients were then asked to visually decide their preference between three examples of medication-list templates. Personalized medication lists were created from the preferences chosen in the questionnaire and mailed to each patient. The postinterview was conducted approximately 30 days following, and patients were retested on the knowledge and responsibility questions as well as five new utilization questions about the medication list received.

Main Outcome Measure(s): The primary objective was to identify medication-list components preferred by patients. Secondary objectives included: identifying the medication list template that patients preferred, measuring change in patient knowledge and responsibility after using the medication list tailored to patient preference, and assessing patient utilization.

Results: Forty-four patients preferred a more detailed medication list. Thirty subjects participated in the postquestionnaire, and 54% preferred the most complex medication list. There was no statistically significant change in knowledge or gain in patient responsibility.

Conclusion: Patients preferred a more complex medication list as a reference to manage their home medications.