Objective: The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of nonadherence to medication in multimorbid patients with polypharmacy and its relationship to social support in primary healthcare centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, convenience-sample, non-randomized study in three primary healthcare centers managed by National Guard Health Affairs. The participants included 417 adult patients -(a) with two or more chronic illnesses and (b) who were taking two or more medications. The primary outcome variable was the prevalence of medication nonadherence in multimorbid patients with polypharmacy as measured by the modified Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) . The second main variable was the impact of functional social support, as measured by the Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ), on medication adherence.Results: The level of medication adherence was low for 194 (46.5%) of the 417 patients, medium for 127 (30.5%), and high for 96 (23%). There were 256 (61.4%) male participants and 161 (38.6%) females, and their mean age was 59.15 (SD ± 11.186) years. Additionally, 171 (41%) participants used two or three medications, 127 (30.5%) used four or five medications, and 119 (28.5%) used more than five medications; 178 (42.7%) of the patients had two comorbidities, 136 (32.9%) had three comorbidities, 69 (16.5%) had four comorbidities, and 31 (7.5%) had five comorbidities. Some social support data from the Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ) was missing for 58 (13.9%) of the participants. Among the rest of the sample, reported levels of social support levels were high for 246 (59%) patients, medium for 101 (24.2%), and low for 12 (2.9%) patients. None of the differences between social support and medication adherence were statistically significant. However, 61 (24.8%) patients reported both high social support and high medication adherence; 173 (48.2%) had low social support and low medication adherence (p = 0.470). Conclusion:We found that medication nonadherence in multimorbid patients with polypharmacy was high (46.5%). Although there were no statistically significant relationships between social support and medication adherence, certain patient characteristics were associated with low medication adherence -age over 60 years, male gender, and number of medications.
Long-term fatigue is a common condition that involves both physical and psychiatric symptoms, and it affects multiple age groups and causes morbidity and disabling symptoms that range from mild to severe symptoms. Many patients are discharged following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection without proper follow-up and evaluation of long-term effects, resulting in the improper treatment of the long-term symptoms, which increases the burden on the patients and healthcare systems. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2. It results in a variety of symptoms, including fever, cough, respiratory distress, the loss of the sense of smell and taste, and long-term effects such as postsevere acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which is characterized by chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, myalgia, weakness, and depression. The aim of this study is to assess the incidence of long-term fatigue in patients who achieved remission from COVID-19 at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), National Guards Health Affairs, Riyadh. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, non-probability convenience sampling study. All participants who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and achieved remission were approached in an outpatient department (OPD) setting and signed an informed consent form and were evaluated by standard questionnaires at clinics after remission from COVID-19 at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 343 subjects who fit the inclusion criteria of any patients who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and achieved remission were included in the study. This study included patients from the National Guard Hospital, students, and staff members. The primary outcome variable was the incidence of long-term fatigue in patients who achieved remission from COVID-19 as measured by the Chalder fatigue scale (CFQ). The participants were approached in clinics and generalOPD by one of the research teams. ResultsBased on the study design, 343 patients were selected from King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, the incidence of long-term fatigue in patients who achieved remission from COVID-19 was 55.7%, and the rest were normal (44.3%). The incidence of long-term fatigue was statistically significantly higher in females and those who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and achieved remission for more than two months. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to more than 45, with a predominance of females (60.6%). Regarding body mass index (BMI), 39.9% were overweight, and 29.2% were obese. Additionally, the incidence of patients with associated chronic disease was 27.4%; among these chronic diseases, hypertension was the most common one (18.1%), followed by diabetes (17%) and thyroid diseases (14.9%). Conclusion Open Access Original Article
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