Poor adherence to medication as assessed by the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale‐8 and low satisfaction with treatment in 237 psoriasis patients

Abstract

Previously we assessed the medication adherence for oral and topical remedies by a translated Japanese version of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 (MMAS-8) together with socioeconomic backgrounds in 3096 Japanese dermatological patients, and found the medication adherence, especially to topical drugs, was poor in these patients. In order to elucidate the disease-specific sociomedical factors, we further sub-analyzed the medication adherence in 237 psoriasis patients and compared it with that in other dermatological diseases such as atopic dermatitis, urticaria or tinea. This study was conducted among patients registered in monitoring system and 3096 eligible patients were enrolled. Our web-based questionnaire included the following items such as age, sex, annual income, main health-care institution, experience of effectiveness by oral or topical medication, overall satisfaction with treatment, and MMAS-8 for oral or topical medication. Mean adherence score by MMAS-8 was 5.2 for oral and 4.3 for topical medication. More patients with psoriasis used a university hospital and fewer used a private clinic compared with those with the other skin disease patients. Experience of drug effectiveness by oral medication and overall satisfaction with treatment was lower in psoriasis patients than in other patients. In oral medication, significantly better adherence was observed in those of higher age and with higher annual income. The adherence to medication, especially to topical drugs, was poor in 237 psoriasis patients. We speculated that some severe psoriasis patients were not sufficiently treated systemically and were resistant to topical therapy, leading to poor adherence.

The Effects of a Self-Care Program on Promoting Self-Care Behaviors in Patients with Psoriasis

“…Previous studies have shown that adherence to oral medications is more than topical medications and is attributed to the higher age and annual income of patients (27). In addition, Brown et al reported a medication adherence rate of 57%, which is consistent with the present study (28).…”

Assessment of medication adherence and treatment satisfaction in Japanese patients with psoriasis of various severities

“…Psoriasis is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory keratotic skin disease that negatively impacts the patient's quality of life (QOL) . Previously, we assessed the medication adherence and the overall satisfaction by web‐based questionnaires including a translated Japanese version of the eight‐item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS‐8) in 237 Japanese patients with psoriasis, finding poor adherence and low satisfaction . However, because of the length of the questionnaire, we did not include items about the clinical type of psoriasis, disease severity, and the contents of topical and oral treatments.…”

Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Comorbid with Psoriasis: Beyond the Skin

“…The cosmetic disfigurement associated with psoriasis increases the risk of depression, anxiety, feeling stigmatized and self-harm ideation, which profoundly impairs their satisfaction and adherence to medical care (36, 89, 90). In addition, internal physicians may hesitate to perform electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and even blood examinations, especially in severe cases with extensive skin eruption.…”

“…Both the physical and psychological quality of life are significantly impaired in all populations of psoriasis sufferers (32-35), and patients' adherence to medication regimens and satisfaction with their results are very poor (36). The disease burden of psoriasis is further increased by its association with psoriatic arthritis, which is characterized by seronegative spondyloarthropathies, enthesitis and elevated C-reactive protein levels (5, 37-39).…”