Abstract: Objective To find out the elderly medication compliance and its influencing factors in a community of Shanghai, so as to provide the benefits for ensuring drug safety and improving efficacy. Methods Extracting the survey from the elderly aged 60 years old or older in a community, evaluated them with the homemade scale of medication compliance. Results Among the 300 investigated elderly, the meam score of medication compliance is 15.63± 2.18, 31.33% of the elderly showed higher compliance. The elderly who are younger, with higher education and to participate in the basic medical insurance for urban workers, family doctors contracted, medication compliance is higher. While the compliance is lower for the elderly living alone and suffering from multiple chronic diseases, taking many kinds of medication. Conclusion The level of medication compliance of the elderly in community depends on the basic situation of older persons, physiological function, drugs, family and social support cases. So when we develop individualized regimen for elderly patients, ensure therapeutic efficacy and drug safety, it needs to participate and cooperate with the medical staff, patients and their families.

Key words: community, the elderly, medication compliance, influencing factors