Prevalence of medication adherence and its associated factors among patients with noncommunicable disease in rural Puducherry, South India – A facility-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background:Trends in morbidity and mortality due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are rising because of poor control status. Medication nonadherence is one of the most common and modifiable causes of inadequate control status.Objectives:To determine the prevalence of drug adherence among patients with NCD in rural Puducherry.Methods:A facility-based cross-sectional study was done among 260 patients with NCD receiving treatment from rural primary health center in Puducherry during February and March 2018. Information regarding sociodemographic profile and household was collected using pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Morisky Medication Adherence Scale was done to assess the adherence. We calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) to identify the factors associated with medication adherence.Results:Among the 260 participants, 42.7% belonged to elderly age group; 66.2% were females; 44% did not have any formal education; 70% were unemployed. The majority were suffering from hypertension (71.2%) followed by diabetes (56.2%). This study found that almost one-third (32.7%) of the study participants were not properly adherent to medications. Elderly [aPR 2.51 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.70–3.70] and female participants (aPR 1.64 95% CI: 1.04–2.58) were found to have more chance being nonadherent to medications after adjusting for possible confounding variables.Conclusion:This study reported that almost one-third of the study participants were nonadherent to medications. Elderly age group and female gender were found to be the determinants of nonadherence. Corrective measures need to be started at patient level first by motivating and educating them regarding the importance of drug intake.

Medication adherence and glycemic control status among people with diabetes seeking care from a tertiary care teaching hospital, south India

“…24 In this study, 39% reported poor adherence. The prevalence of poor adherence in the present study was similar to the studies reported from India, 19,25,26 Brazil, 27 Ethiopia, 28 and Tanzania. 29 In contrast to our findings, a study from Kerala, India, reported a much higher prevalence (74%), but the study was reported from a general population.…”

“…11,18 Previous studies have reported medication adherence in primary health care or community settings in India. 13,19 However, evidence from public sector tertiary care hospitals on PWDs medication adherence and its relationship with glycemic control status from the south Indian population are limited. Hence in this study, we aimed to assess the medication adherence and glycemic control status among PWDs seeking care from a public sector tertiary care hospital, Puducherry, south India.…”

Determinants of Treatment Adherence Among Patients Living With Noncommunicable Diseases: A Mixed-Method Study in a Rural Area of West Bengal

“…Although 39.4% of the participants were found to be nonadherent to their prescribed medications, more than two-thirds of the participants were found to be nonadherent to a healthy lifestyle and follow-up advice. Nonadherence to medication was found to be slightly less in our study compared to the study done in rural Karnataka, India (43.5%) by Kumar et al 5 A previous study in Puducherry, India by Yuvaraj et al 18 elicited increasing age and female gender to be significantly associated with poor medication adherence among patients with NCDs. Our study also found a similar association not only with regard to medication nonadherence but also with nonadherence to a healthy lifestyle and follow-up advice.…”

Patients’ Perception of Factors Influencing Noncompliance with Medication among Cardiac Patients in Fiji: A Qualitative Study

“…2 Drug noncompliance is a major issue in the management of patients with noncommunicable diseases. 3 Compliance with therapy is a primary determinant of treatment success. Noncompliance is a serious problem that not only affects the patient but also the health-care system.…”