Adherence to oral anti-diabetic drugs among patients attending a Ghanaian teaching hospital

BACKGROUND: The burden of diabetes mellitus, especially Type-2, continues to increase across the world. Medication adherence is considered an integral component in its management. Poor glycemic controls due to medication nonadherence accelerates the development of long-term complications which consequently leads to increased hospitalization and mortality. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the level of adherence to oral antidiabetic drugs among patients who visited the teaching hospital and explored the probable contributory factors to non-adherence. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study using systematic sampling to collect quantitative data was undertaken. Questionnaires were administered to outpatients of the medical department of a teaching hospital in Ghana. Logistic regression was performed with statistical significance determined at p<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 200 diabetic patients participated in the study. Using the Morisky Medication Adherence scale, the level of adherence determined was 38.5%. There were significant correlations between level of adherence and educational level [(OR)=1.508; (CI 0.805-2.825), P=0.019), and mode of payment [(OR)=1.631; (CI 0.997-2.669), P=0.05). CONCLUSION: Adherence in diabetic patients was low among respondents and this can be improved through education, counseling and reinforcement of self-care. There were several possible factors that contributed to the low adherence rate which could benefit from further studies.