Introduction Medication non-adherence is a major public health problem among diabetes mellitus patients. However, there is a lack of data regarding its magnitude and the factors contributing to Ethiopia’s non-adherence, especially in the Tigrai region. This study was conducted to assess the magnitude of non-adherence and its contributing factors among diabetes mellitus patients in the Eastern Zone of Tigrai, Northern Ethiopia. Materials and Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Adigrat and Wukro General Hospitals using a pre-tested, self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire developed from the relevant literature and a checklist developed to review patient medical cards for the period of the 15th of March to the 15th of July, 2019. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Association between the dependent and the independent variable was performed using logistic regression and a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results From a total of 321 study participants, 63.9% of the patients were non-adherent to their medications. Two-month dose issued on each visit (AOR = 2.865, 95% CI 1.380–5.949), dose issued for more than three months (AOR = 4.314, 95% CI 1.526–12.195), monthly income below 500 birr (AOR = 5.048, 95% CI 2.094–12.168), monthly income between 500 and 2000 birr (AOR = 2.593, 95% CI 1.032–6.517), distance greater than 24 kilometers from hospital to home (AOR = 10.091, 95% CI 3.509–29.020), more than four prescribed medications per visit (AOR=7.192, 95% CI= 2.171–23.824), never receiving counseling (AOR=22.334, 95% CI= 9.270–53.810), and diabetes-related admission (AOR=0.248, 95% CI= 0.078–0.789) were significantly associated with patients’ non-adherence to diabetes mellitus medications. Conclusion The level of diabetic medication adherence was suboptimal, and our study highlights that better monthly earning, nearby health-care accessibility, fewer prescribed medication, and getting appropriate counseling about diabetes mellitus were predictive of adherence to medications. Hence, an urgent intervention targeting the development of guidelines that involve these determinates should be employed to improve health care.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.