Abstract

Background: Medications are the primary tool used to prevent and manage non-communicable diseases (NCD). The medical literature is rich with studies related to the adherence issues of NCD patients to their medication regimen; however, there is a dearth of such studies on patients in Bahrain. Hence, this study was conducted to measure medication adherence among patients with NCD in Bahrain primary health centers (PHC).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 patients with NCD who were following at PHC in either NCD department or general outpatient clinics between February and March 2019. The data was collected through face-to-face interviews and a questionnaire based on the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS) to measure patient’s adherence to medications.

Results: Only 19.5% of the study participants were adherent. Use of medication reminders was associated with adherence; 49.8% of the participants were not using any reminding method, and 32.3% linked medication timing with their daily activities. Patients diagnosed with more than one disease and married patients were more adherent. There was no statistically significant association between the patients' demographic characteristics and adherence. Following a healthy diet and lifestyle was associated with adherence.

Conclusion: The low level of adherence in patients with NCD indicates the need for increasing awareness, especially regarding the health complications resulting from non-adherence to medications. Doctors must ensure that their patients are adherent to their medication and healthy lifestyles, before making changes in the dosage or medication.

Keywords: Adherence; Bahrain; Chronic disease; Medication; Primary health