Adherence to medications, self-care activity, and HbA1c status among patients with type 2 diabetes living in an urban area of Iran

Background: Appropriate pharmacotherapy, self-care and adherence to medications are crucial to diabetes control. We aimed to study the diabetes care and glycemic control in patients with type two diabetes living in an urban area of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients with type 2 diabetes who attended a referral university affiliated community pharmacy and an accredited pathobiology laboratory in the 17th district of Tehran were evaluated. Data including demographics, medical and drug history were collected. Self-care activity (Diabetes Self-care Activity Measurement Scale) and medication adherence (8-item Morisky Medication Adherence scale) were also assessed. After completing the questionnaires, the patients were referred to the laboratory for Hemoglobin A1c test. Results: Three hundred forty-eight patients (60.3% females) were recruited. The mean (SD) of patients’ age was 55.82 (12.72) and 75.3%of them were Illiterate or had primary education. Mean (SD) of Hemoglobin A1c levels was 8.39 (2.03) and 33% of patients had levels higher than 9%. Among study patients, 186 (53.4%) patients received monotherapy for diabetes type 2 and 200 (57.5%) patients had low adherence to medications. Physical activity, blood glucose self-monitoring and foot care were domains of self-care with the fewest practice. Re-using a pen or syringe needle more than once was reported by 83% of patients and mean (SD) time of re-using a pen needle was 9.11 (8.74). Conclusion: Poor glycemic control, low medication adherence, inadequate self-care activities, signals of inappropriate pharmacotherapy and inadequate medical visits and monitoring in the study patients highlight the importance of providing accessible and affordable health care services in the region. Moreover, educational needs of the patients should be considered especially in an area in which the majority of patients are old and illiterate and have low socioeconomic status. © 2018, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.