Effect of individual nursing intervention on the medication adherence of elderly patients with diabetes after discharge

Abstract

Objective To investigate and analyze the influence of individual nursing intervention after discharge on medication adherence of elderly patients with diabetes. Methods From January 2012 to December 2012, 60 cases of elderly patients with type 2 diabetes who were hospitalized in the Medical and Health Center, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, were selected as the routine nursing group, while from January 2013 to December 2013, 60 cases of elderly patients with type 2 diabetes were selected as the individual nursing intervention group. Routine nursing methods were used in the two groups of patients during hospitalization.The patients of individual nursing intervention group were followed up for 2 times a week after discharge by diabetes specialist nurses. After 3 months of follow-up, the results of routine blood glucose tests were collected and the patients were assessed with a questionnaire survey on compliance. The differences of medication compliance were compared between the two groups. Results The score of the Morisky of the individual nursing intervention group was 8.12±0.35, which was higher than the routine nursing group (5.64±0.53), the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (t=2.751, P=0.032). The medication adherence of the individual nursing intervention group was better than the routine nursing group, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(χ2=17.879, P<0.05). After 3 months of follow-up, the levels of the fasting plasma glucose, plasma glucose in 2 hours after meal, glycosylated hemoglobin of the two groups were improved compared with admission, the difference was statistically significant (all P values were less than 0.05). The levels of the fasting plasma glucose, plasma glucose in 2 hours after meal, glycosylated hemoglobin of the individual nursing intervention group were improved more obviously than that of the routine nursing group after 3 months of nursing intervention, which had statistical significance (all P values were less than 0.01). Conclusions The medication adherence of elderly patients with diabetes can be effectively improved by individual nursing intervention, which was more effective to help elderly patients with diabetes to achieve the purpose of controlling plasma glucose levels than routine nursing. Key words: Aged; Diabetes mellitus; Medication adherence; Individual nursing intervention