Medication Adherence among Patients with Non-Communicable Diseases in a Tertiary Hospital: A Descriptive...

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of mortality, with a projected rise from 38 million in 2012 to 52 million by 2030. Among NCDs, hypertension, diabetes and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease are the major burdens in healthcare today, requiring long-term therapies and a significant effort in maintaining treatment adherence.

A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted to determine medication adherence among patients with non-communicable diseases using non-probability, consecutive sampling techniques after ethical approval from same institute (Reference number: 524). Medication adherence was assessed on 322 patients attending the outpatient department, using a structured interview schedule, after getting Ethical approval from the Institution Review Committee. Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-4), Culig adherence Scale, and Beliefs about Medications (BMQ) tool were used to determine the adherence level, causes of non-adherence and belief in medication respectively. Data was coded and analysed using SPSS version 16. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data.

The study population exhibited a mean age of 58 ± 12.80 years, with male participants 190 (59.01%). The present study revealed that 148 (45.96%) of the participants have a high adherence level to prescribed medication, and 246 (76.40%) strongly believed that without medication they would be very sick and life would be impossible.

The study found that less than half of participants fully adhered to prescribed medicine, with forgetfulness identified as a primary cause of non-compliance.