Patients' satisfaction with diabetes medications in one hospital, Saudi Arabia

The main aim of this study was to evaluate diabetic patients' satisfaction with their treatment. A secondary objective was to assess the relationship between treatment satisfaction scores and patient-related factors, if any.

This cross-sectional study collected data from patients at a primary care clinic of a government hospital located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Patients were recruited if they were ≥18 years of age, had type 2 diabetes, currently taking oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin or both, and able to read and write in Arabic. Satisfaction was measured using the Diabetes Medication Satisfaction (DiabMedSat) questionnaire.

One hundred and twenty-three patients completed the questionnaire. The participant mean age was 46 years (standard deviation [SD] = 11.2 years; range 18-75 years), and mean duration of the disease was 7.8 years (SD = 6.9 years). Over half of respondents (63%) reported that they were satisfied and only 16% were unsatisfied. Approximately 54% of respondents are interested in changing their diabetes medications. The overall satisfaction score was 59.56 (SD = 15.9). Mean scores for the burden, efficacy, and symptoms domains were 59.81 (SD = 15.7), 58.1 (SD = 22.6), and 60.77 (SD = 22.1), respectively. Treatment factors (eg, type of medication; P < 0.02) and adherence factors (eg, difficulty taking medications; P < 0.032) were independently associated with lower treatment satisfaction.

Diabetes patients with difficulties in adherence to recommendations, as well as patients treated with insulin, require more attention in order to improve their treatment satisfaction.