Abstract
Objective: Adherence is a multifactorial phenomenon. Medication-related factors have long been the focus of attention. However, the results are inconsistent. Methods: In a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of outpatients, we assessed 180 patients suffering from chronic conditions. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of medication regimen complexity on adherence to long-term drug therapies. Results: 91.66% of patients receiving more than four drugs had good or high adherence. 80.94% of patients on thrice a day (or more) drug administration had good or high adherence. 91.66% of patients receiving drug therapy for more than 5 years had good or high adherence. In all other groups, the adherence was low. The adherence was significantly (p<0.05) and positively (rs=0.792 and 0.846) correlated to the frequency of drug administration and duration of treatment. Adherence was positively correlated to the number of drugs per day (rs=0.668) but the relationships were not statistically significant (p=0.102). All the correlations were large. Conclusions: We found adherence positively correlated with medication regimen complexity. An improved understanding of the determinants of medication adherence is needed. Keywords: Medication regimen complexity, Adherence, Long-term therapy, Chronic disease
Highlights
IntroductionThe WHO defines adherence to long-term therapy as the extent to which a person’s behavior-taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes-correspond with agreed recommendations from a healthcare provider [1]
The WHO defines adherence to long-term therapy as the extent to which a person’s behavior-taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes-correspond with agreed recommendations from a healthcare provider [1].Adherence is a key factor in the efficacy of all pharmacological therapies, but it is especially critical for drugs prescribed for chronic diseases
Among the patients receiving more than 4 drugs, 8.33% (n=1) had partial, 66.66% (n=8) good and 25.0% (n=3) high adherence
Summary
The WHO defines adherence to long-term therapy as the extent to which a person’s behavior-taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes-correspond with agreed recommendations from a healthcare provider [1]. Adherence is a key factor in the efficacy of all pharmacological therapies, but it is especially critical for drugs prescribed for chronic diseases. The important treatment-related factor is medication regimen complexity. More complex medication regimens are generally believed to lead to reduced compliance, the evidence supporting this association is conflicting. Many studies show that the more drugs a person takes, the lower the adherence. This study aims to examine the relationship between medication regimen complexity and adherence to long-term drug therapies. Understanding the relationship may lead to better health outcomes
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