Assessment of Medication Adherence in Saudi Patients With Type II Diabetes Mellitus in Khobar City, Saudi Arabia

Khaled AlQarni; Elham A AlQarni; Atta Abbas Naqvi; Dhfer Mahdi AlShayban; Syed Azizullah Ghori; Abdul Haseeb; Mohamed Raafat; Shazia Jamshed

doi:10.3389/fphar.2019.01306

Assessment of Medication Adherence in Saudi Patients With Type II Diabetes Mellitus in Khobar City, Saudi Arabia

Front Pharmacol. 2019 Nov 8:10:1306. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01306. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Khaled AlQarni¹, Elham A AlQarni², Atta Abbas Naqvi³, Dhfer Mahdi AlShayban³, Syed Azizullah Ghori³, Abdul Haseeb⁴, Mohamed Raafat⁵, Shazia Jamshed^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
² Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Fahd Military Medical Complex, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Malaysia.
⁷ Qualitative Research-Methodological Application in Health Sciences Research Group, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Malaysia.

Abstract

Objective: Medication adherence is defined as taking medications as advised and prescribed by health care professionals for stated duration. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic illnesses in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to document medication adherence in Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi out-patients with type 2 DM in the city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The study used the General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS) to document medication adherence in this population. Data was analyzed through SPSS version 23. Study was ethically approved. Results: Data was collected from 212 patients. Few patients (35.8%) had high adherence to anti diabetic medications. The correlation between Hb_A1c level and adherence score was negative and significantly strong (ρ = -0.413, p < 0.0001). Most patients (N = 126, 59.4%) modified their medication therapy during month of Ramadan and on Eid occassion. Education level was not a determinant of adherence in this population. Conclusion: This study highlighted that medication adherence is influenced by religious and social factors. Patient counseling is required to improve patient beliefs and increase awareness of adhering to prescribed anti diabetic pharmacotherapy. A pharmacist can play constructive role of a disease educator and patient counselor.

Keywords: Khobar; Saudi Arabia; diabetes mellitus; medication adherence; type II diabetes mellitus.