Abstract

A COMMUNITY BASED STUDY TO EVALUATE PHARMACIST INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING MEDICATION ADHERENCE AMONG PATIENTS WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM

Krishnananda Kamath K., Saleema Mariam*, Shifnaz N. P. and A. R Shabaraya

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Abstract

Hypothyroidism is believed to be a common clinical problem in India, as it is worldwide. Patients with hypothyroidism are managed with long- term levothyroxine (LT4) therapy. However, as with other chronic illnesses, medication adherence is a prominent issue in these patients. A community based prospective observational study was conducted to assess medication adherence in patients with hypothyroidism using MMAS-8 and to evaluate the impact of pharmacists’ intervention on medication adherence. A total of 150 patients from different areas of Dakshina Kannada district participated in the study. The data was collected with the help of patient interview forms and was analyzed by the use of Microsoft Excel 2016. Majority of the participants were female (74.7%) and between the age group of 45-65 years (47.3%). Among the participants, 17.3% showed high adherence, 40.7% medium adherence, and 42% low adherence to medication. Forgetfulness (41.3%) was found to be the most common cause of non-adherence, followed by felt better, life stress and pill burden and complex respectively. The subjects were followed-up after 1 month to re-analyze using the same questionnaire and adherence scale used for the initial assessment and a remarkable improvement was observed in the rate of high adherent population (48.7%). Improving drug adherence necessitates a multifaceted approach that includes concerted efforts from both the health provider and the patient. Health practitioners must be able to devise and incorporate potentially useful methods to achieve this goal.

Keywords: Hypothyroidism, Medication adherence, Pharmacist.