Congruence of medication information from a brown bag data collection and pharmacy records: findings from the Seattle longitudinal study.

The validity of health information obtained through participants' reports of current medications (e.g., the brown bag method) is an important, but under-studied, area. In the current study, we examined the congruence of medication reports from a brown bag data collection with the pharmacy prescription records for 1430 participants (ages 23 to 97 years) of the seventh wave of the Seattle Longitudinal Study. Overall, the congruence of the brown bag data and pharmacy records was high. Congruence was better for younger participants, healthier participants, and for medications taken for serious conditions or on a regular basis. When the focus is on assessing participants' medications at a specific point in time (e.g., on the day of testing), brown bag data may provide more complete information than pharmacy records. Age and health status of the participants as well as the type of medications of interest should be considered when determining the validity of medication information reported by participants.