Abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the major cause of disability and death all over the world.1 COPD is a chronic disease which results in a progressive loss of airway function. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 65 million people have moderate to severe COPD. The major factors resulting in emergency hospitalization among COPD patients has been identified as poor adherence to medication and disease management programs. Adherence is crucial for optimizing clinical outcomes in COPD, with nonadherence resulting in a significant health and economic burden. AIM: To assess the medication adherence and to identify the problems associated with the use of Inhalers in COPD patients. METHODOLOGY: This study was an observational study conducted over a period of 6 months in a tertiary care hospital setting. Patients admitted in inpatient ward were involved in study and were briefed about the study and consent was obtained to participate in the study. Morisky Green Levine Medication Adherence Scale (MGL) and Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI) questionnaires were used in the study. RESULTS: A total of 92 patients participated in the study among which majority were male patients. The mean age of the study population was 65.35±9.67 years. MGL medication adherence scale showed that majority of patients had medium adherence (71, 77.17%) followed by low adherence (14, 15.21%). When the level of adherence and type of non-compliance to inhalers was assessed using the TAI questionnaire, result showed that majority of patients had poor adherence (68, 77%) and unconscious non-compliance (81,39%). CONCLUSION: Lack of medication adherence needs to be identified and addressed by using simplified treatment regimens, increasing patient knowledge about self-management, and enhancing provider skills in patient education, communication, and adherence counselling.
Keywords: COPD, Adherence, Inhaler.
Title: EVALUATING MEDICATION ADHERENCE AND INHALER USE IN COPD PATIENTS
Author: ROSHIN SUSAN GIGI, JEMMY JERRY JOHN, GEORGE MICHAEL, AZAM PIRI TAKBOLAGH, Dr. SAMBHU RAMESH
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
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