BACKGROUND
Schizophrenia is among the leading courses of illness and disfunction among adults world-wide. Patients with schizophrenia pose a great challenge to medication adherence and the pattern and its pre-disposing factors in the context of Zanzibar remains unknown.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to examine the prevalence of and factors associated with non-adherence to medication among patients with schizophrenic in Zanzibar.
METHODS
A mixed method study with a concurrent quantitative and qualitative designs will be employed. 384 pairs of care givers and patients with schizophrenia will be recruited beginning mid-February 2021. Non adherence to medication as an outcome variable will be assessed using questionnaire and visual analog to both patients and care givers. Standardized questionnaires; MoCA-5-minutes protocol, Work Alliance Inventory- Short form revised (WAI-SR), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Mental Health Inventory-5-items (MHI-5) and researcher developed questionnaire will be used to examine explanatory variables including patient factors, illness factors, medication factors, care provider factors and care giver factors. In-depth interview will also be conducted among health care providers to provide qualitative data on care provider perspectives about adherence to medication in Zanzibar. Descriptive analysis will be employed to explain the medication patterns, and prevalence of non-adherence to medication. Both logistic and linear regression models will be employed to examine the relationship of explanatory factors and non-adherence to medication.
RESULTS
As of March 2021, subject recruitment is underway and analysis of data is expected to commence in August 2021.
CONCLUSIONS
Medication adherence among patients with schizophrenia is a challenge worldwide as do in Zanzibar. This study will highlight how patient, economic, sociocultural and caregiver may each individually or synergistically contribute to poor adherence to medication in the context of Zanzibar.