Medication apprehension and compliance among dialysis patients--a comprehensive guidance attitude

Compliance with treatment regimens is a continuing challenge for chronic dialysis patients and their medical caregivers. Poor patient adherence to prescribed medications can adversely affect treatment outcome.

In this pre- versus post-intervention study, 89 chronic dialysis patients [75 hemodialysis (HD), 14 continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD); mean age 62.7 +/- 12.39 years, 34 females] responded to a written questionnaire designed to assess knowledge about and compliance with 5 groups of prescribed medications: metabolic drugs, antihypertensives, cardiac-supporting agents, peptic disease therapy and hematological replacement therapy. Mode of intake, storage, means of supply and source of information for each class of drug were also assessed. Patients then received both oral and written instructions regarding their prescribed medications (intervention). This information was repeated 3 months later. Six months after the intervention, patients were re-administered the questionnaires. Response to the questionnaires and laboratory data were compared prior to and following the intervention.

Overall, compliance with prescribed medications significantly improved following the intervention, from 89 to 95.7%, p = 0.0007. This relative improvement was greater in HD than CAPD patients (27 vs. 2%, p < 0.0001). Improvement in compliance was associated with lower initial scores, fewer years of education, and longer dialysis vintage. Compared to baseline values, post-intervention blood hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, ferritin and Ca levels were significantly improved.

Dialysis patients appear to benefit from receiving comprehensive guidance about medications, in terms of compliance with medications and blood chemistry and hematology measures.