Abstract
(1) Background: Medication adherence is a key determinant of patient health outcomes in chronic illnesses. However, adherence to long-term therapy remains poor. General beliefs about medicine are considered factors influencing medication adherence. It is essential to address the gap in the literature regarding understanding the impact of general beliefs about medicine on medication adherence to promote adherence in chronic illnesses. (2) Methods: PubMed, CINHAL, and EMBASE databases were searched. Studies were included if they examined medication beliefs using the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire in one of four chronic illnesses: hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and/or asthma. (3) Results: From 1799 articles obtained by the search, only 11 met the inclusion criteria. Hypertension and diabetes represented 91% of included studies, while asthma represented 9%. Higher medication adherence was associated with negative general medication beliefs; 65% of the included studies found a negative association between harm beliefs and adherence, while 30% of studies found a negative association with overuse beliefs. (4) Conclusions: This review evaluated the impact of harm and overuse beliefs about medicines on medication adherence, highlighting the gap in literature regarding the impact of harm and overuse beliefs on adherence. Further research is needed to fully identify the association between general beliefs and medication adherence in people with different cultural backgrounds, and to explore these beliefs in patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses, particularly asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Healthcare providers need to be aware of the impact of patients’ cultural backgrounds on general medication beliefs and adherence.
Highlights
Chronic illnesses are the main cause of death and disability globally, and are often discussed in terms of four major disease groups—cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) [1]
No significant association between overuse beliefs and medication adherence
Two studies reported a negative association between overuse beliefs and medication adherence in patients with the selected chronic conditions
Summary
Chronic illnesses are the main cause of death and disability globally, and are often discussed in terms of four major disease groups—cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) [1]. Unintentional non-adherence refers to unplanned behavior; it is passive rather than active [5] It sometime occurs when the patient wants to adhere, but is unable to because they lack capacity or resources. Medication non-adherence is best understood in terms of the perceptual factors (e.g., beliefs and preferences) influencing motivation to start and continue with treatment [6]. These perceptions are predominantly represented by beliefs about medicines as well as beliefs about the illness that the medication is intended to treat or prevent [7]
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