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Relationships between beliefs about medications and adherence
Margaret E Gatti1, Kara L Jacobson, Julie A Gazmararian
1School of Medicine, George-town University, Washington, DC, USA. margaret.gatti@gmail.com
Summary
Negative beliefs about medications and low self-efficacy were linked to poor medication adherence in patients. Health literacy did not directly impact adherence in this study.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Health Literacy Research
- Patient Adherence Studies
Background:
- Medication adherence is crucial for treatment effectiveness.
- Understanding factors influencing adherence, such as patient beliefs and literacy, is essential.
- Previous research suggests a link between health literacy and medication adherence, but findings are not always consistent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationships between beliefs about medications, health literacy, and self-reported medication adherence.
- To identify predictors of medication adherence among patients receiving care at an inner-city hospital pharmacy.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 275 patients at an inner-city hospital pharmacy.
- Data collected via interviewer-assisted questionnaires, including the Morisky 8-item Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8), Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ), and Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM).
- Multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with low medication adherence (MMAS-8 score >2).
Main Results:
- Over half of the participants (52.7%) reported low medication adherence.
- Negative beliefs about medications, younger age (<65 years), and low medication self-efficacy were significantly associated with low adherence.
- Health literacy, as measured by REALM, was not independently associated with medication beliefs or adherence.
Conclusions:
- Negative beliefs about medications and low self-efficacy are significant predictors of poor medication adherence.
- Age (under 65) was also associated with lower adherence.
- Health literacy did not emerge as an independent factor influencing medication adherence in this specific patient population.
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