Determinants affecting medication adherence in the elderly: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE: Due to high rates of irrational use of medicines and low rates of medication adherence among older Iranian patients, this study aimed to explore the determinants of medication adherence in the elderly. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted in 2019 via 20 semi‐structured interviews with a purposeful sample of elderly people and health‐care personnel. Transcript data were analyzed applying thematic analysis. MAXQDA(10) was used for thematic analysis and presenting a thematic map. RESULTS: Two main themes appeared as the main determinants of medication adherence: individual determinants and external determinants. Other results show that there were six sub‐themes and 23 main categories in this regard. The sub‐themes were as follows: consumption disorder, consumption acceptance, delinquency, forgetfulness, sociocultural factors, and others’ impacts. CONCLUSIONS: Different individual and external factors can affect elderly people’s medication adherence. Considering the significance of this issue for the health of elderly people and the whole community, positive changes are needed to manage the medication‐adherence process. Basic and scientific planning, appropriate interventions, and comprehensive collaboration among all health‐system levels are required for implementing such changes.