ABSTRACT
Background: The primary treatment for epilepsy is Antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. Non-compliance to AEDs can result in break-through seizure, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, fractures, head injuries and increased mortality. Thus, compliance to AEDs is crucial to be studied. Objective is to study compliance and factors influencing compliance with AEDs among patients with epilepsy.Methods: This observational study was conducted in 105 patients with epilepsy on AED therapy in community in Ludhiana (Punjab) after approval from Institutional Ethics Committee. Demographic data and drug history was collected. Monthly follow up for 6 months was done by paying home visits and data regarding type, dose, frequency of administration of AED was recorded on a semi-structured performa. Pill count was done by recording number of pills dispensed and number of pills remaining with patient. Response to Morisky’s Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) was also recorded. Results were correlated with patient demographics, type, frequency and number of AEDs.Results: Out of 105 patients, 65 were males and 40 were females. Fifty-four patients were non-compliant with both pill-count and MMAS. Non-compliance was high in first month and decreased gradually. Poly-therapy, lower socio-economic status and multiple dosing regimens were most commonly associated with non-compliance.Conclusions: Under-dosing was more common among non-compliers, which explains the high reporting of forgetfulness to take medicine in MMAS. Both pill count and MMAS are effective non-invasive tools to study compliance.
ABSTRACT
Background: Clonidine is less frequently used by nephrologists. Data on clonidine prescribing trends in hemodialysis patients is sparse. We assessed the clonidine utilization metrics from the case records of patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.Methods: In this retrospective chart review, we analysed the clinical records of hemodialysis patients using clonidine. We evaluated the frequency of clonidine use, mean dose of clonidine and percentage of patients receiving a particular dose. Additionally, we also correlated dose of clonidine with anti-hypertensive pill count.Results: A total of 70 hemodialysis patients case records were screened. All 70/70 (100%) of them were hypertensive. Only 25/70 (35.74%) of patients were prescribed clonidine as an anti-hypertensive agent. The mean clonidine dose was 352±171 µg. Majority of patients 9/25 (36%) received 400 µg of clonidine. The dose of clonidine was prescribed in the order 400 µg (36%)>200 µg (32%)>600 µg (16%)>100 µg (8%)>300 µg (4%)=700 µg (4%). There was a statistically significant correlation in the strength of clonidine prescribed with increasing anti-hypertensive drugs (p<0.05).Conclusions: In our study, we observed that 80% of our hemodialysis patients were non responders to either systolic blood pressure or diastolic blood pressure or both. Oral clonidine use was observed in 35.74% of our hemodialysis patients. There was a linear trend showing an increased dose of clonidine with an increase in the anti-hypertensive pill count.
ABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Failure to adhere to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) can lead to a range of unfavourable consequences impacting upon people living with HIV (PLH) and society. It is, therefore, paramount that ART adherence is measured in a reliable manner and factors associated with adherence are identified. Lack of such data from West Bengal necessitated undertaking the current study. Methods: Participants were included during August-October, 2011 from three Drop-In-Centres (DICs) from the three districts of West Bengal, India. ART-adherence was calculated by using formula based on pill-count and records collected from ART-card in possession of each of the 128 consenting adult PLH. Information on self-reported adherence, socio-demography, and adherence influencing issues was also collected through interviewer-administered questionnaire. Results: Of the 128 PLH, 99 (77%) and 93 (73%) PLH had ≥90 per cent and ≥95 per cent adherence, respectively to ART. Conversely, subjective reporting captured much higher proportion of PLH as ‘well adherent’; a finding having implications for ongoing ART programme. Factors, independently associated with poor adherence (<90%), were ‘7th to 12th month period of ART intake’ (adjusted OR=9.5; 90% CI 1.9 - 47.3; p=0.02) and ‘non-disclosure of HIV status to family members’ (adjusted OR=4; 90% CI 1.3 - 13; p=0.05. Results at 95 per cent adherence cut-off were similar. Interpretation & conclusions: Enabling environment, which would encourage people to disclose their HIV status and in turn seek adherence partners from families and beyond and ongoing adherence-counselling appear to be important issues in the programme. Relevance of these study findings in wider context is conceivable.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study was to verify the necessity of a control program developed to improve compliance, by conducting a research on the status of medication compliance in the elderly with chronic diseases in rural area and analyzing the related variables. METHODS: The organized questionnaire and pill-count were used to collect information on personal details, physical status, drugs taken in the elderly over 65 years old suffering from more than two chronic diseases in one rural area. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 73.13+/-6.36 (65~93), and the number of the subjects in compliance group was 60 (77.9%) and the accuracy of self-report which was identified by pill-count was 0.86. Polypharmacy and visiting several clinics were the main factors that decided a low- degree of compliance, with OR of 5.92 (95% CI 1.11~31.44, P=0.037), and 4.25 (95% CI 1.03~17.53, P=0.045), respectively. CONCLUSION: Systematic efforts are necessary and plans must be established without delay to increase compliance in the elderly in the rural, expansively to manage chronic diseases in stay-at-home elders.