A qualitative study on factors affecting adherence to antidiabetic medication in patients approaching a health center in an urban area

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting adherence to antidiabetic medication among diabetic patients in India. SETTING AND DESIGN: A qualitative study was conducted among 40 diabetic patients aged >30 years, on treatment for more than a year without any complications in the Urban Health Centre of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A semistructured questionnaire was harnessed to congregate data by interviewing the patients for 30–40 min in person. The interviews were recorded in the form of audios by acquiring informed consent and transcribed verbatim. The factors were then divided into barriers and enablers which were further subdivided into themes and subthemes as a result of which four major themes were built including individual, social, organizational, and community levels. These major themes were further categorized into several subthemes to assess the nonadherence to antidiabetic medications. RESULTS: The results of the interviews depicted that the lack of knowledge, financial problems, familial issues, misconceptions regarding the disease, and side effects of taking medications daily were the major altruist for nonadherence, whereas on the other hand, positive perception about the disease, family support, and getting medications on affordable prices by some health-care institutes played an important role in enabling medication adherence as about 50% patients were adherent to the medications. Moreover, various interventions were used to escort the patients regarding medication compliance and blood glucose level monitoring such as lifestyle modifications (diet and exercise), use of reminders for medication intake on time, encouraging them to visit health-care centers, or hospitals on time for regular check-ups and by educating them regarding the long-term effects of diabetes and its prevention.