Vol. 2, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

Medication non-adherence is a major barrier to successful management of chronic conditions in older adults, who are often affected by multimorbidity, polypharmacy and age-related functional decline. Reminder tools, including low-cost printed reminder cards, may help address forgetfulness and regimen complexity, yet evidence among elderly outpatients in routine care settings remains limited. This research evaluates the effectiveness of nurse-delivered reminder cards in improving medication adherence among elderly outpatients with at least one chronic non-communicable disease. A quasi-experimental research was conducted in an outpatient department, enrolling patients aged ≥60 years who were on ≥3 regular medications for at least six months and had suboptimal adherence based on the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Participants were allocated to intervention (reminder card plus usual care) or control (usual care only) groups. The reminder card contained a personalized daily medication schedule with colour-coded time blocks, pictorial cues, and space for self-ticking after each dose; it was explained and reinforced by nursing staff at baseline and at 4-week review. Adherence (MMAS-8) was assessed at baseline and 12 weeks; secondary outcomes included self-reported forgetfulness, missed-dose frequency, and clinic blood pressure or fasting blood glucose where applicable. Data were analysed using paired and independent t-tests and chi-square tests. The intervention group showed a significant improvement in mean MMAS-8 score from low/moderate to high adherence, with a higher proportion of participants achieving high adherence at 12 weeks compared with controls. Reported forgetfulness and missed doses per week were significantly reduced in the reminder-card group, accompanied by modest but favourable trends in clinical parameters. The findings suggest that simple, low-cost reminder cards, when integrated into routine nursing care, can meaningfully enhance medication adherence among elderly outpatients, particularly those with polypharmacy and a high burden of chronic disease. Incorporating reminder cards into outpatient counselling protocols may represent a feasible, scalable strategy for resource-constrained settings, complementing more technologically intensive adherence interventions.