The Association of Job Strain With Medication Adherence: Is Your Job Affecting Your Compliance With a Prescribed Medication Regimen?

OBJECTIVE

This innovative study examines for the first time the relationship between occupational factors (eg, job strain) and medication adherence.

METHODS

An analysis of secondary data collected from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) implemented in 34 drugstores of a national pharmacy chain in Tennessee. Medication adherence, health care utilization, psychosocial assessment, chronic disease status, and occupational health history data were obtained from study participants.

RESULTS

The study found that most job strains are less adherent to their medication regimen as measured by proportion of days covered (PDC) than those in a low strain job category. However, statistically significant differences are observed only for renin angiotensin system antagonists (RASA), statins, and when PDC is combined across all medication classes.

CONCLUSIONS

Examining occupational factors may prove beneficial in developing interventions that improve medication adherence.