How much elderly people of Isfahan are adherent to their drug therapy regimens?
Volume 7, Issue 1, March and April 2017, Pages 1-4
. Parvaneh Abazari, . Tayebe Arab Jafari, . Ali Mohammad Sabzghabaee
Abstract Background: The need for a correct follow‑up for medical advices of health givers is the
cornerstone for avoiding drug‑related complications in especial period of elderly people life.
There isn’t any data about drug therapy regimens adherence of elderly people of Isfahan. In
this study, we aimed to cover this deficit. Materials and Methods: In this cross‑sectional study
which was carried out in Isfahan (Iran) in 2013 senior citizens (aged 65 or more) who were
taking at least one medication and had no record of residency in nursing homes were included.
We used Morisky medication adherence scale (after validation and reliability assessment for
using this questionnaire in Persian language) to evaluate the level of adherence in the study
population. Results: A total of 200 elderly participants were fully studied (n = 200, 61% females),
and 52% of them had poor medication adherence. 77.5% of participants were suffered from at
least four medical illnesses, and 18.5% of them were taking more than eight medications per
day. We have not found any significant statistical relationship between vision or hearing loss
disorders and the medication adherence of the participants). There was a significant positive
relationship between the level of education and medication adherence (P = 0.001), (2 = 0.29).
Conclusion: Low Medication adherence is a common and important drug issue in the elderly
in Isfahan. This issue can lead to medical complications and huge cost if it is not addressed
appropriately.