Medications Adherence among Type 2 Diabetic Patients Attending Primary Healthcare Centers in Cairo.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

2 Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Medication adherence in chronic diseases such as diabetes is an important part of successful therapeutic outcomes. Poor adherence to medications limits the benefits of treatment, increases the incidence of adverse events and higher mortality and morbidity.
Objectives: To gauge the prevalence of non-adherence to diabetes medications among individuals with type 2 diabetes visiting primary healthcare centres. Additionally, to identify factors contributing to this non-adherence. Furthermore, to evaluate the agreement between two measurement tools: The measure Treatment Adherence questionnaire and the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale questionnaire, both utilized for assessing treatment adherence in diabetes patients.
Methods: A Cross-sectional study was performed on 131 patients with type 2 diabetes. Each patient answered a structured interview questionnaire about socio-demographic and medical characteristics and possible factors affecting medication adherence. In assessing adherence levels, two self-reported questionnaires were utilized.
Results:
Medication adherence among diabetic patients attending primary health centers was 65.6%. Many
factors were found to affect medication adherence including regular monitoring of blood glucose
level (76.7%), regular follow-up visits (75.9%), presence of family support ( and sufficient
monthly income ( 84.2%) A statistically significant strong negative correlation was found
between the two questionnaires’ scores (r= 0.8644, p-value < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Participants in the study demonstrated a high level of adherence to diabetes medications. Several factors were identified as influencing medication adherence, including regular monitoring of blood glucose levels, consistent follow-up visits, and the presence of family support. Both Measure Treatment Adherence and Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale questionnaires are effective tools for measuring adherence among patients attending primary healthcare centres. 

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