Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a rising global hazard. Medication non-adherence is increasing the burden of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which has a direct influence on poor health outcomes, greater healthcare costs, and a rise in the number of comorbid cases and death. In developing countries like Nepal, where economic instability and restricted access to healthcare facilities may have led to an increase in medication non-adherence, non-adherence studies are essential.

Objective: This study aimed to assess medication non-adherence in patients with T2DM and identify associated factors and its predictors in Nepalese setting.

Method: Patients diagnosed with T2DM in the Out-Patients Department (OPD) above the age of 25 are included in the research. This was a four-month Hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study. The data of the study were analyzed by using SPSS 26.0 version and Microsoft Excel 2017. Logistic regression analysis was used to associate factors with medication non-adherence.

Result: Non-adherence was found in 65.1 percent of the 175 T2DM patients in the study. Factors that were associated with non-adherence were: age group (AOR=22, 95%CI: 4.4-112), an education level (AOR=24, 95%CI: 4.3-138), employment status (AOR=8.2, 95%CI: 1.6-42.5), monthly income (AOR=13, 95%CI: 2.4-78.6), duration of diabetes (AOR=45, 95%CI: 6.1-127.1), and presence of diabetic complications (AOR=5.2, 95%CI: 1.2-22.8).

Conclusion: The level of adherence to diabetes medication was unsatisfactory. Predictors of non-adherence were age group, education, employment, income, duration of disease, and diabetic complications. Patients should be encouraged to take anti-diabetic medications as prescribed and frequent awareness of the benefits of doing so should be fostered to prevent non-adherence.