Non Adherence to Diabetic Medication Among Diabetic Patients, a Case Study of Dormaa Hospital Ghana

Abstract

Today, diabetes Mellitus is one of the chronic diseases prevalence in Ghana. This study assessed the factors that contribute to non-adherence to medication among diabetic patients undergoing therapy in Dormaa Hospital. The study used convenience and purposive sampling technique to sample 130 respondents comprising 123 diabetic patients and 7 health professionals from the Dormaa Presby Hospital. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data was coded and analyzed with Stata 12.0. Most participants (57%) had a family history of diabetes and were at age 51 and above that most people were diagnosed with the disease. The level of diabetics’ adherence to diabetic treatment regimen was satisfactory and higher (68.5%). The majority of diabetics (69.23%) visited health facilities on monthly basis for review which involves testing of blood glucose level as well. Though most of diabetics surveyed were illiterate, they were, however, knowledgeable on the importance of treatment regimen as they disclosed that treatment regimen sought to prevent progression of the disease stage to associated complications, co-morbidities, and early death. Polyuria, polydipsia, and sweating were some of the commonest sign and symptoms mentioned by the patients. The majority of the patients (57%) had no idea of the normal range of fastening blood sugar level. Finances (25.6%), forgetfulness (45.5%), busy schedules (18.2%) and poor family support (2.5%) were some factors that affect better treatment adherence. Most diabetics called for a government subsidy to the drugs, continuous health education on the diseases and family support. The study recommends a much more focused preventive healthcare services to identify risk factors and early detection. Research on the burden of chronic diseases on the health facilities should be considered in the future.