Treatment Satisfaction and Quality of Life among Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in West Bank, Palestine

OBJECTIVES: This study had the goal of evaluating the role of treatment satisfaction among diabetic patients in the context of health-related quality of life (QoL) and medication adherence. METHODS: This study, which utilized a cross-sectional design, was conducted at the Primary Healthcare Unit in the Ministry of Health in Ramallah between Feb. and May 2019. Medication adherence was evaluated with the 4-item Morisky Green-Levine (MGL) questionnaire, treatment satisfaction using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication version 1.4 (TSQM 1.4), and health-related quality of life with the European Quality of Life scale (EQ-5D-3L). RESULTS: Study participants consisted of 380 diabetic patients, of which 220 (57.9%) had high adherence to their medications and 160 (42.1%) had low adherence. Based on the classification of patient responses among the EQ-5D domains, pain/discomfort was the most influenced dimension, with 173 patients (36.1%) reporting problems, (36.1%). Also prominent were anxiety and depression (128 patients, 33.7%) and Mobility (115 patients, 30.3%). A significant relation was observed between QoL and treatment satisfaction (73.8 vs. 69.8; P = 0.016). Treatment satisfaction also had a significant association with the anxiety domain (39.4 vs. 28.7; P = 0.031). CONCLUSION: Participants expressed moderate satisfaction with their treatments; more satisfied patients showed greater medication adherence and had better QoL. Anxiety has been shown to be associated with reduced medication adherence and lower QoL.