Assessment of Medication Adherence in Diabetes Mellitus Patients at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in India.

INTRODUCTION

Medication adherence is a crucial aspect of patient care and is vital for the effective management of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM). Non-adherence to medication is a pervasive issue in both developed and developing countries, posing significant challenges for healthcare providers and patients, and leading to adverse treatment outcomes and overall health complications.

METHODS

After receiving approval from the institutional ethics committee, this cross-sectional, prospective study was conducted over a period of three months (December 2023 to February 2024) in the medicine outpatient department of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Gujarat, India. All patients diagnosed with DM by physicians were included. A pre-designed structured questionnaire comprising 12 questions was self-administered to DM patients. Data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests to identify factors influencing medication adherence.

RESULT: A total of 390 diabetes patients were included in the final analysis. Among the participants, 232 (59%) were male, with a mean age of 58.69 ± 12.38 years. The overall medication adherence was notably high, with 356 (91.28%) participants demonstrating good adherence. The multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between medication adherence and glycemic control. The presence of any comorbidity, current alcohol consumption, or smoking increased the odds of poor adherence by 1.78 (95%CI 1.026-3.475), 1.44 (95%CI 0.51-5.19), and 1.17 (95%CI 0.61-2.24), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Health education and patient counseling should be integrated into follow-up visits to enhance medication adherence. The findings of this study may serve as a foundation for developing healthcare policies and guidelines aimed at improving diabetes management. Future research should focus on evaluating additional factors influencing adherence and non-adherence, such as treatment regimen complexity, insulin resistance, and lifestyle factors, to better understand the underlying discrepancies.