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Forty percent of seniors polled don't take all of the medications their doctors prescribe as directed, a national survey finds.

The poll of 17,685 people over age 65 attributed the finding to the high cost of prescription drugs, the belief that the drugs weren't helping, or the feeling that the medications were unnecessary. More than half of those polled with three or more chronic conditions said they didn't take their medications as prescribed, the survey found. It was sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund, and Tufts-New England Medical Center.

Of the 89 percent of seniors who said they took at least one prescription drug in the past year, 46 percent said they took five or more. And 54 percent said they had more than one physician who prescribed medication.

Conversely, 27 percent of participants said they didn't have any prescription drug coverage at the time of the polling, the survey sponsors said.

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