EVALUATION OF MEDICATION ADHERENCE IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Abstract

Medication adherence of schizophrenic patients is a growing public health problem. Non-adherence to medication has a negative impact on the course of illness resulting in relapses, rehospitalization, longer time to remission, suicide attempts, and drug abuse.The article aims to determine the level of medication adherence and risk factors of non-adherence to the pharmacotherapy regimen in patients with schizophrenia.Materials and methods. There was comparative study to evaluate the medication adherence in 40 patients with paranoid schizophrenia in department of psychiatry, psychotherapy, addictology and medical psychology at Donetsk National Medical University. The social-demographic and clinical-social factors were assessed by special social-demographic questionnaire. The clinical and psychopathological symptoms were measured by Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS). The Medication Adherence was evaluated by Medical Adherence Rating Scale (MARS). The neuroleptic side effects were observed by Glasgow Antipsychotic Side Effect Scale (GASS).Results. Young age of patients, male sex, professional and family dysfunction, substance abuse, productive, negative, neurocognitive psychopathological symptoms were associated with a low level of medication adherence. Typical oral antipsychotics of the first generation with neuroleptic adverse events (sedation, parkinsonism, akathisia, dyskinesia, dystonia, tachycardia, dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention, weight gain) were negatively associated with a low level of medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia.Improving adherence to patients with schizophrenia may have a considerable positive impact on patients and society. This can be achieved by focusing on the identified multitude of factors driving nonadherence.