A new systematic review and meta-analysis finds that many people with cardiovascular disease have low medication literacy, meaning they struggle to understand and use their medicines correctly. The review pooled data from 9,599 patients across multiple studies and measured medication literacy using three different questionnaires.
On the Medication Literacy Questionnaire (MLQ), the average score was 4.56 out of a possible range. On the Medication Literacy Scale in Spanish and English (MedLitRxSE), the average was 7.49. And on the Chinese Medication Literacy Scale for Hypertensive Patients (C-MLSHP), the average was 24.09. These scores suggest that many patients do not fully understand their medications.
The researchers note that there was substantial variation between studies, which makes the results less precise. They call for future large-scale, long-term studies using standardized tools to better understand the problem and what causes it.
This review does not prove that low medication literacy causes worse health outcomes, but it highlights an important area for improvement. Patients and healthcare providers can work together to ensure clear communication about medications.