A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY TO ASSESS THE PHARMACOTHERAPEUTIC ADHERENCE IN PATIENTS ATTENDING THE OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT OF RESPIRATORY MEDICINE IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Objective: Nonadherence to anti-TB treatment may result in the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB, prolonged infectiousness, and poor tuberculosis treatment outcomes. Underuse, overuse, and improper use continue to be the most common causes of poor adherence to Bronchial Asthma therapy. The objective of the study was to determine respiratory disease medication adherence in India. Methods: Hospital-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from Feb 2020 to July 2021. The data was collected by interviewing respiratory patients receiving Tuberculosis and Bronchial Asthma medications using Morisky’s four-item scale questionnaire. The data were analyzed with a chi-square test. Results: From the total 203 patients of respiratory diseases, of which 180 tuberculosis patients, when asked about adherence to their medications: 128 (71.11%) of them did not forget to take the drugs, 130 (72.22%) of patients reported that they had been being careful in taking their medications, 140 (77.77%), 130 (72.22%) patients did not stop medications when they felt better and when they felt worse while taking medications respectively while in 23 patients of bronchial asthma, when asked about adherence to their medications: 14 (60.86%) of them did not forget to take the drugs, 9 (39.13%) of patients reported that they had been being careful in taking their medications, 8 (34.78%), 11(47.82%) patients did not stop medications when they felt better and when they felt worse while taking medications respectively. Conclusion: This study revealed that 77.83% of patients were adherent while 22.16% of patients were non-adherent to the medication, of which total adherence in Tuberculosis patients was 85.52% while in Bronchial asthma patients, it was 34.78%