Medication adherence among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated in a primary general hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate medication adherence and the associated influencing factors in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who were treated in a primary general hospital in Shanghai China during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: From March to April 2020, all of the COPD patients treated in our department in the last 7 years were interviewed by telephone. The basic patient data and each questionnaire item were collected, and influencing factors were analyzed by the Chi-square test, U test, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 191 patients with COPD were queried, and 84 (44.0%) valid questionnaires were obtained. Among them, individuals with group B symptoms were most represented (45.2%); 53.6% had Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea levels of 2 or above. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test (CAT) had an average of 9 [3, 13], and 52.4% of patients used two-drug combination therapy. Medication adherence was both good in ordinary times and over the past 2 months of the pandemic, and 88.8% of patients had no acute exacerbation during the pandemic. The CAT scores of male patients <70 years old, and patients with general outpatient follow-up and regular gargling were reduced (P<0.05). Drug combination and doctor’s supervision were favorable factors affecting medication adherence during the 2 months of the pandemic, while possible depression was an unfavorable factor (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, medication adherence in patients with COPD was similar to that in regular times, and was significantly related to drug combination, doctor’s supervision, and accompanying mood disorders. An effective way to improve patient adherence and disease control could be strengthening follow-up education and diagnosing and treating depression and other complications.