An Empirical Study on Factors Affecting Medication Adherence in Outpatients with Depression: From the Perspective of Medication Support for Patients Using Pharmacies / 医薬品情報学

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the factors that affect medication adherence in outpatients with depression using multivariate analysis.Methods: A web-based survey on medication adherence, medication attitude (Drug Attitude Inventory-10; DAI-10), medication self-management, and satisfaction with the prescribing physician/pharmacy for outpatients with depression was conducted in January 2018. T-tests and path analysis were performed to evaluate comparisons of responses based on gender, high/low importance of medication guidance, high/low intention to consult, and high/low frequency of consultations.Results: For mean scores, no significant difference was observed between males and females according to a t-test. In terms of the importance of medication guidance, the high importance group had significantly higher prescribing physician/pharmacy satisfaction and better self-management. In terms of intention to consult, respondents with high intention to consult had significantly higher scores on the DAI-10, better self-management, and higher prescribing physician/pharmacy satisfaction. In terms of frequency of consultations, only pharmacy satisfaction was significantly higher in the high-frequency group. Path analysis revealed that, in general, adherence was influenced by medication attitude and self-management, and prescribing physician/pharmacy satisfaction and self-management were influenced by medication attitude. In the intergroup comparison, pharmacy satisfaction did not affect medication adherence in males or the group with low importance of medication guidance. In addition, medication attitude did not affect adherence only in the non-consultation group.Discussion: These results suggest that it is necessary to improve the medication support measures at pharmacies for outpatients with depression. Furthermore, in order for the measures to improve medication attitudes and adherence to be effective, it is necessary for patients to understand the benefits and importance of using pharmacists effectively, including medication support and consultation, and to be actively involved in the maintenance and promotion of patients' health.