Abstract
BackgroundTreatment adherence greatly influences the clinical outcomes in various fields of medicine, including management of asthma and COPD. With the recent implementation of a nationwide e-Health solutions in Poland, new and unique opportunities for studying primary non-adherence in asthma and COPD emerged. The aim was to study primary non-adherence to inhaled medications available in Poland indicated in asthma and/or COPD and analyse the impact of patients’ demographics and inhalers’ characteristics (dry powder inhalers (DPIs) vs metered dose inhalers (MDIs) and presence of a dosage counter) on primary non-adherence.MethodsA retrospective analysis of all e-prescriptions issued in Poland in 2018 (n = 119,880) from the national e-prescription pilot framework.ResultsPrimary non-adherence for inhalable medications reached 15.3%. It significantly differed among age groups—the lowest (10.8%) was in 75 + years-old patients, highest (18%) in 65–74 years-old patients. No gender differences in primary non-adherence were found. The highest non-adherence was observed for ICS + LABA combinations (18.86%). A significant difference was found between MDI and DPI inhalers and between inhalers with/without a dosage counter.ConclusionsOut of e-prescriptions for inhaled medications issued in 2018 in Poland, 15.3% were not redeemed. The degree of primary non-adherence was influenced by age, but not gender. Significant differences between MDIs and DPIs and between inhalers with/without a dosage counter were observed.
Highlights
Treatment adherence greatly influences the clinical outcomes in various fields of medicine
Out of all (119,880) individual drugs prescribed on e-prescriptions in Poland in 2018, 1973 (1.6%) were inhalable medicines of interest for this study
The primary non-adherence for inhalable medicines reached 15.3%, as 1671 (84.7%) of e-prescriptions on those drugs were obtained by the patients
Summary
Treatment adherence greatly influences the clinical outcomes in various fields of medicine. The worse is the adherence, the worse are the health outcomes and patients’ quality of life [1]. It is a major determinant of healthcare costs [2]. As asthma and COPD are frequent and most often chronic conditions, the key to their successful management comes with systematic drug use, those inhaled. Treatment adherence greatly influences the clinical outcomes in various fields of medicine, including management of asthma and COPD. The aim was to study primary non-adherence to inhaled medications available in Poland indicated in asthma and/or COPD and analyse the impact of patients’ demographics and inhalers’ characteristics (dry powder inhalers (DPIs) vs metered dose inhalers (MDIs) and presence of a dosage counter) on primary non-adherence
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