Adherence to chronic medications among type 2 diabetic patients in primary heath care centres: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the fastest-growing health issues worldwide, and its complications contribute significantly to healthcare costs in Saudi Arabia and worldwide. Adherence to medications is a key element in managing T2DM. Therefore, the aim of this research study is to explica techronic medications adherence among patients with T2DM in primary heath care centres the Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia. Method: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with T2DM in PHC centres in the Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia from March 2021 to February 2022. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the participants' characteristics, and a chi-square test was used to test the relationships between variables. Results: Overall, 234 T2DM patients joined the study, of which 224 completed the study. For all chronic medications being used, (38%) patients were at risk of polypharmacy as they received five or more chronic medications. The chi-square test showed a dependent relationship (P<0.001) between management approach and number of all medications (both antidiabetic and chronic medications) used by T2DM patients. Overall, almost half of the patients (52%) showed a low level of medication adherence, (37%) showed medium medication adherence, and only (11%) showed high medication adherence. Conclusion: Patient education is essential to improve awareness regarding medication adherence in managing T2DM. Additional research is needed to monitor medication adherence and identify the factors contributing to this problem.