Probability of Medication Adherence When Alarm Is Used as a Reminder

Probability of Medication Adherence When Alarm Is Used as a Reminder

Saibal Kumar Saha, Anindita Adhikary, Ajeya Jha, Sangita Saha, Bedanta Bora
Copyright: © 2022 |Pages: 16
DOI: 10.4018/IJRQEH.305221
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Abstract

The main objective of this research is to find the effect of alarm as a form of reminder in improving medication adherence rate. Medication non-adherence is a problem that adversely impacts patients' health, finances, and longevity. Several factors are associated with medication non-adherence. This research uses the method of probability estimates, risk difference, relative risk, and odds ratio to analyze the probability of an increase in medication adherence among patients who use the alarm as a form of reminder. By clustered sampling and a structured questionnaire, 525 responses were obtained from patients suffering from different types of diseases in the state of Sikkim, India. It has been observed that using the alarm as a form of reminder significantly improves adherence rates. The odds of not missing a dose reduces to 49.3%. At a personal level, the chance of not missing the dose reduces by 32.6%, and if the total population is considered, 16.4% of people will not skip the dose if a reminder in the form of an alarm is used.
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Background

Non-adherence has been ascribed to a mishmash of factors related to patients' beliefs (Kleppe et al., 2017; Saha et al., 2021b) and practical factors, including resources and capabilities (Basit et al., 2020). Beliefs about medication side effects (Byer & Myers, 2000; Siegel et al., 2000) are positively associated with medication adherence (Perkins et al., 2006). Weight gain is a common side effect of medication that has been reported in many diseases (Blixen et al., 2020; Grandy et al., 2013). Researchers have found a positive correlation between weight gain and medication non-adherence (Khunti et al., 2019; Natashia et al., 2019). Feeling tired or dizzy is a problem that patients and ordinary people face. This may be due to excessive work or medication's side effects (Foster et al., 2014). Generally, people do not follow their medication when they feel tired or dizzy, leading to non-adherence (Valladares-Garrido et al., 2020). An upset stomach is another problem that may happen for several reasons (Behere et al., 2011; Zukiewicz-Sobczak et al., 2013). It has also been associated with side effects due to specific medication (Bartlett et al., 2019). Many researchers think that patients discontinue their medication when they have an upset stomach (Faasse et al., 2015; Yang et al., 2014). In research conducted by Martin et al. (2010), 35% of the respondents reported taking less medication than prescribed due to “running out of medicine”. Several researchers reported this as a barrier to medication adherence (Tsega et al., 2015; Varnell et al., 2017). Missing medication dose is again widespread among patients. Studies have reported 69.2% (Venditti et al., 2018), 60% (Habib & Coebergh, 2018), and 53% (Bates et al., 1995) of the patients under study have missed the dose of medication. Many times patients do not complete the course of medicine as prescribed. This could be due to several reasons. In a study of malaria patients, 76% did not meet the course of medication (Khantikul et al., 2009). Several studies have been conducted with alarm as an intervention tool for enhancing medication adherence (Chew et al., 2020; Santo et al., 2019; Varkey et al., 2019). Studies reported an increase in adherence rates using “alarm” as a form of reminder (Brooks et al., 2014; Shen et al., 2019).

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