Medication Regimen Complexity and Medication Adherence among Patients with Multimorbidity Treated at University of Gondar Compressive Specialized Hospital

Abstract

Abstract Background Assessing the medication regimen complexity and treatment adherence of a patient is important to tailor medication related outcomes of patients with multimorbidity. Therefore, this study aimed to assess medication regimen complexity and level of medication adherence in patients with multimorbidity. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June, 2021. A systematic random sampling technique was used to enroll participants. Descriptive statistics such as mean, percent, and frequency were used to summarize patients' demographic and clinical characteristics. Ordinal logistic regression and Pearson chi-square tests were performed to identify associations between variables with the outcome variable. The Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% (CI) at P < 0.05 was reported for potential determinant factors of adherence level. Results A total of 416 subjects were participated in the study. The mean (SD) age was 56.12(± 13.75) years. The majority of the participants (57%) were classified under high medication regimen complexity index (MRCI) score. Nearly half of the patients (49%) were poor adherent to their medication regimens. In the multivariable ordinal regression analysis; number of medications (AOR = 0.63[0.41, 0.97]), income level (AOR = 4.59 [2.14, 9.83]), follow up duration (AOR = 2.31[1.09, 4.86]) and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) (AOR = 0.36 [0.16, 0.83]) were significantly associated with low level of adherence. Conclusion Medication regimens for patients with multimorbidity were high and complex. Almost half of the study populations were classified as non-adherent. Hence, health care professionals and other stakeholders should seek interventions aimed at simplifying drug regimens complexity and improving adherence.