Non-Adherence to Medication and Associated Factors among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients Attending Tema General Hospital.

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes is a chronic illness with significant health consequences, especially for those who are unable to adhere to complex treatment regimen. Medication non-adherence leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases, chronic diseases, and other complications. Objective: The main objective of the study was to assess non-adherence to medication and associated factors among patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus attending Tema General Hospital. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A structured questionnaire and the 8-item MMAS was used to measure levels of non-adherence to medication. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2015 spreadsheet and analyzed using STATA version 15. Chi-square test was used in determining the association between the dependent variable and various independent variables. Both bivariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between the independent variables and non-adherence. Crude and adjusted Odds Ratios with 95% CI at a significant level of α=0.05 were used to assess the degree of relationship between explanatory variables and non-adherence. Results: Data collected from 259 patients within the ages of 26 years and 88years revealed that proportion of non-adherence was 34.7%. Age (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI = 0.73, 0.98, p= 0.024), educational level (AOR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.14, 1.02, p= 0.045), presence of co-morbidities (AOR = 3.38, 95% CI = 2.07, 6.13, p= 0.027), and financial support (AOR = 3.88, 95% CI = 1.75, 8.59, p=0.000) were statistically significantly associated with non-adherence. Conclusion: Given that non-adherence to medication was higher among patients who were 40 years and above implies that, this is a critical issue which calls for more education and understanding of non-adherence. Further studies about non-adherence to diabetes medication are of great importance to improve diabetes care and come up with interventions and solutions to a growing global health problem.