FACTORS AFFECTING MEDICATION ADHERENCE AMONGST DIABETIC PATIENTS IN
INDIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Abstract
Background: Diabetes is a chronic condition that requires lifelong
treatment with anti-diabetic medications to achieve optimum blood sugar
level and to prevent complications associated with it but medication
non-adherence becomes a major barrier in attaining good glycemic
control. Aim: The study was designed to determine the adherence rate to
anti-diabetic medications and factors associated with medication
non-adherence amongst diabetic patients in Punjab. Materials & Methods:
A cross-sectional study was carried out for 3 months on 138 diabetic
patients who were using at least one hypoglycemic agent or were on
insulin therapy. Hill-Bone Medication Adherence Scale (HB-MAS) - a 9
item questionnaire was used to measure adherence rate. Results:
Medication adherence in the study population was above average.
89(64.5%) had high adherence followed by 41(29.7%) having moderate and
8(5.8%) having low adherence. Factors associated with medication
non-adherence were age group 18-30 years, male, unmarried, and had a
family monthly income < Rs 5000. Conclusion: The factors which
affect medication adherence need to be evaluated at the constant
interval for an individual patient. Patients must be educated about the
disease and the benefits of adhering to their treatment regimen, which
eventually improves the quality of life.