Capacity to remember prescription drug changes: deficits associated with diabetes

This study compared the capacity of 44 diabetes patients and 131 non-diabetic patients to remember prescription medication recommendations made during return visits to primary care clinics. Diabetes patients were 1.6-times less likely to remember all medication recommendations immediately after the visit than non-diabetic patients, a discrepancy which remained significant after controlling for sociodemographic, health status and treatment differences between the two groups. The results suggest that the cognitive deficits that diabetes patients demonstrate in laboratory testing may be severe enough to diminish their ability to learn treatment recommendations made in primary care settings. Further research is needed to determine whether recall is problematic for diabetes patients in general, or primarily for those in poor metabolic control. Clinicians who treat diabetes patients need to incorporate readily implemented strategies to promote patient recall for substantial numbers of diabetes patients to benefit from pharmacological treatment.