take drugs as they are directed中的什么意思,” they ”指代什么

问题描述:

take drugs as they are directed中的什么意思,” they ”指代什么
Careful surveys have indicated that as many as 50 percent of
patient do not take drugs as they are directed directed.

指“病人”
原句意为:多于50%的病人没有按照他们(they)被指导的方式吃药.