Patient Preference and Adherence (Sep 2019)

Factors Associated With Medication Adherence In Elderly Retired Outpatients In São Paulo, Brazil

  • Valassi JMR,
  • Carvas Junior N,
  • Matsura Shirassu M,
  • de Paula KE,
  • Atkinson ER,
  • Koike MK

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 13
pp. 1619 – 1628

Abstract

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Juliana Martins Ribeiro Valassi,1 Nelson Carvas Junior,1 Mirian Matsura Shirassu,1 Kaleo Eduardo de Paula,1 Elena R Atkinson,2 Marcia Kiyomi Koike1,3 1Health Sciences Department, Institute for Medical Assistance to State Public Servants, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Fundación IDEA, Mexico City, Mexico; 3Emergency Medicine Department, Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilCorrespondence: Marcia Kiyomi KoikePrograma de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde. Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual (IAMSPE), Brasil Av. Ibirapuera, 981 - 2º andar, Vila Clementino, São Paulo/SP CEP: 04029-000, BrazilTel +55 11 9 9964-8421Email [email protected]: To evaluate medication adherence and associated socioeconomic factors in elderly Brazilians.Methodology: This observational study was conducted with 159 elderly retired in an outpatient clinic in the city of São Paulo. Treatment adherence was assessed with the questions from the Morisky Green Levine Medication Adherence Questionnaire, and medications were classified using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical system. Statistical tests and adjusted Poisson regression models were used to analyze variables.Results: The study population was mostly female (67.5%), had an average age of, and took an average of 6.5 medications per day. The most commonly used drugs were agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system (67.9%), statins (62.3%), antithrombotic agents (48.4%), and biguanides (37.1%) for the treatment of hypertension (76.7%), dyslipidemia (54.1%), and diabetes (47.8%). The rate of adherence was below 60% in the groups of participants that were analyzed except for the high household income category, which had a rate of 75.8%.Conclusion: Medication adherence among the elderly was low in all categories except for the high household income category, a relevant finding that will help to understand medication adherence patterns in elderly Brazilians.Keywords: medication adherence, aged, geriatrics, polypharmacy, drug therapy, socioeconomic factors

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