Management of Medication Adherence in Patients with Chronic Diseases At Sub-district Health Promoting Hospital, Mueang District, Maha Sarakham Province

Abstract

Objective : To develop a Medication adherences monitoring model and analyze the management of medication adherence problems among patients with chronic diseases across three sub-district health promoting hospitals, Mueang district, Maha Sarakham province.

Method : This study used a descriptive approach, examining patients with chronic diseases who sought medication within the study settings between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2022. Drug-related problems, their underlying causes, and management strategies were analyzed using measures such as frequency, mean, and standard deviation.

Result : The Medication adherences monitoring model for medication use at the individual and family level was developed. When evaluating patients who received services froms pharmacists  1,272 times. Medication non-adherences were found 46 patients, with a total of 55 problems found mostly associated with intermittent drug usage, self-discontinuation, intentional non-use, incorrect dosages, and adverse drug reactions. Primary causes of these problems included adverse drug reactions, patient memory problems, and the utilization of alternative medicines or herbal remedies for self-care. Solutions for drug-related problems included providing verbal instructions to patients, implementing the adverse drug reaction monitoring system, and engaging in consultations with physicians to adjust treatment plans. It was found that most of the identified drug-related problems were successfully resolved.

Conclusion : The study showed the significance of establishing recommendations and guidance for classifying drug-related problems, identifying their root causes, implementing management, and monitoring outcomes. Such measures could be used to evaluate and classify drug-related problems involving medication adherence among patients with complex chronic diseases and lead to solving problems of an individual patient. It was expected that the recommendation and guidance of this study could be expanded across the network of sub-district health promoting hospitals affiliated with Maha Sarakham hospital.