Rheumatic Heart Disease Patients’ Adherence to Secondary Prophylaxis and Associated Factors at Hospitals in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: A Multi-Center Study

Adherence to Secondary Prophylaxis and Risk Factors Among Patients with Rheumatic Heart Disease at Public Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021–2022

“…This finding is comparable with the study conducted in Pakistan's 26.5% 19 and Addis Ababa's 32.1% 16 and slightly low when compared to studies from Egypt, Jimma zones, and Brazil with 34.5%, 37%, and 35%, respectively. 5,20,21 However, this result was considerably less poor 22 adherence than that found by Jamaica 51.3%, 23 India 50%, 24 Uganda 46%, 17 Sudan 68%, 12 and Jimma Medical centre 44.8%. 7 The variability in the level of adherence may reflect the different systems in which this study was done, different factors may influence adherence, study designs, study times, done in referral hospitals, and more participants were urban residencies in this study.…”

“…Furthermore, different studies reported reasons for poor adherence almost the same except for the new emerging variable (ie, fear of Covid-19) even if a variation in the percentage. 5,7,12,17,23,25 Regarding Factors associated with poor adherence: The participants who were living in rural residency were positively significantly associated with poor adherence to secondary prophylaxis. This finding is in harmony with the study done in Jimma Zone hospitals, in Uganda, and South India.…”

“…The questionnaire was adapted through reviewing different literature and previous similar studies. 5,6,16 The questionnaire was translated to the local language Amharic and data were collected by face-to-face interviews with patients or their attendants/guardians for pediatric patients who came for follow-up during the study period. Medical data were reviewed from patient records.…”

“…Otherwise, there is a higher risk of recurrent ARF and complications. 5 Adherence is the extent to which a person's behavior in taking medication corresponds with the recommendations agreed upon by health-care providers. 6 A patient is classified under good adherence when he/she takes was ≥80% of secondary prophylaxis for RHD (if injected more than nine times per year).…”

“…15 Besides, poor adherence is associated with socioeconomic status, condition-related factors, patient-related factors, therapy-related factors, and health system-related factors. 5,6,16,17 In Ethiopia, studies on adherence to secondary prophylaxis and associated factors are limited. There is only one study conducted among 145 adult patients in a single institution in Addis Ababa among them 30.3% were poor adherence and 37% were from Jimma zonal hospitals.…”