Objectives. This study had the goal of evaluating the role of treatment satisfaction among diabetic patients in the context of health-related quality of life (QoL) and medication adherence. Methods. This study, which utilized a cross-sectional design, was conducted at the Primary Healthcare Unit in the Ministry of Health in Ramallah between Feb. and May 2019. Medication adherence was evaluated with the 4-item Morisky Green-Levine (MGL) questionnaire, treatment satisfaction using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication version 1.4 (TSQM 1.4), and health-related quality of life with the European Quality of Life scale (EQ-5D-3L). Results. Study participants consisted of 380 diabetic patients, of which 220 (57.9%) had high adherence to their medications and 160 (42.1%) had low adherence. Based on the classification of patient responses among the EQ-5D domains, pain/discomfort was the most influenced dimension, with 173 patients (36.1%) reporting problems, (36.1%). Also prominent were anxiety and depression (128 patients, 33.7%) and Mobility (115 patients, 30.3%). A significant relation was observed between QoL and treatment satisfaction (73.8 vs. 69.8; P=0.016). Treatment satisfaction also had a significant association with the anxiety domain (39.4 vs. 28.7; P=0.031). Conclusion. Participants expressed moderate satisfaction with their treatments; more satisfied patients showed greater medication adherence and had better QoL. Anxiety has been shown to be associated with reduced medication adherence and lower QoL.

Introduction: To examine the mean differences between patient beliefs about medicine with reference to adherence and glycemic control. Methods: This study utilized a cross-sectional questionnaire-based approach. Adherence to medication was measured with the Morisky Green Levine Medication Adherence Scale (MGLS); glycemic control as the last HbA1c test value; and beliefs about medicine with the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ). Results: According to MGLS scale, 220 (57.9%) of the diabetic patients were classified as high adherent to their medications and 160 (42.1%) were classified as low adherent. Patients had strong believes in their medication, the mean necessity score was significantly outweighed the mean concerns score (17.7 vs 14.4; P < .001). Low adherent patients had significantly more concerns about long term effect of medications (14.4 vs 13.8; P < .008). No significant mean differences were found between glycemic controlled and uncontrolled group regarding necessity or concern domains. Conclusion: Assessing beliefs about medicine is crucial for recognizing patients at risk of low adherence, which offers a way to help patients with diabetes to achieve a better glycemic control.

Aims Strong evidence indicates that drugs reduce blood lipids and improve cardiovascular end‐points, leading to their wide usage. However, the success of these drugs can be affected by poor patient's adherence to prescribed medication. This study aimed to evaluate medication adherence in patients with dyslipidaemia in association with patient beliefs about medicines. Methods The study was conducted from January 2019 to July 2019 at the middle governmental primary healthcare clinics in Ramallah and Bethlehem cities, and used a cross‐sectional design. Adherence was determined using the 4‐item Morisky medication adherence scale, while beliefs were determined using the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire. Results Of 220 patients, 185 agreed to participate in the study, resulting in a response rate of 84.1%. Of the participants, 106 (57.3%) were men, and almost half (88, 46.5%) were ≥56 years. Medication non‐adherence was high (47.6%), but a majority (65.5%) reported believing their treatment to be necessary for their continued good health. Accordingly, the mean necessity score (17.3, SD 3.7) significantly outweighed (P < .001) the mean concerns score (14.0, SD 3.5). Multivariate regression demonstrated four variables to be significantly correlated with non‐adherence: illiterate (OR = 2.52; CI: 0.9‐4.3; P = .03), polypharmacy (OR = 3.18; CI: 1.9‐5.7; P = .007), having comorbidity (OR = 3.10; CI: 2.2‐4.6; P = .005) and having concerns about side effects (OR = 2.89; CI: 1.1‐4.6, P = .04). Conclusion Non‐adherence among patients taking lipid‐lowering agents was high despite most holding positive beliefs regarding medication necessity. This may be due to concern also being high. Physicians should identify and target high‐risk patients and individualise their treatment plans in order to achieve adequate control of dyslipidaemia.

Background Asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses among children and adolescents. It can severely affect their quality of life (QoL). Our study assessed the QoL and analyzed potential risk factors for poor QoL among asthmatic children and adolescents. Methods This was a cross-sectional comparative study. Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) was used to measure the QoL and Asthma Control Test (ACT) was used to evaluate asthma control. The Chi-square test and independent t-test were used to compare variables. We used Multivariate logistic regression to identify the association between determinants and outcomes. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results We recruited 132 participants. We found that 47 patients (35.6%) had controlled Asthma and 85 patients (64.3%) had uncontrolled Asthma. When compared to uncontrolled asthma individuals, participants with controlled asthma had improved QoL and scored significantly higher in the symptom domain (P = 0.002), activity domain (P = 0.004), emotional domain (P = 0.002), and overall PAQoL scores (P = 0.002). Hospital admission affects significantly all domains of PAQOL (P<0.05). Poor QoL was significantly associated with hospitalization for asthma (OR = 3.4; CI: 2.77–3.94, P = 0.01), disease severity (OR = 3.0; CI: 2.41–3.61, P = 0.01), uncontrolled asthma (OR = 2.88; CI: 2.21–3.41, P = 0.019), and male gender (OR = 2.55; CI: 1.88–2.91, P = 0.02). Conclusions The results of the present study showed that in children and adolescents, uncontrolled asthma, disease severity, and previously hospitalized patients were associated with poor QoL. These factors must be considered when planning a comprehensive care plan for a better quality of life.

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