Illness perceptions of Libyans with T2DM and their influence on medication adherence: a study in a diabetes center in Tripoli

Abstract

BackgroundThe surrounding environment influences the constitution of illness perceptions. Therefore, local research is needed to examine how Libyan diabetes patients perceive diabetes and how their perceptions influence their medication adherence.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Tripoli, Libya, between October and December 2013. A total of 523 patients with type 2 diabetes participated in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection; this included the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire and the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale.ResultsThe respondents showed moderately high personal control and treatment control perceptions and a moderate consequences perception. They reported a high perception of diabetes timeline as chronic and a moderate perception of the diabetes course as unstable. The most commonly perceived cause of diabetes was Allah's will. The prevalence of low medication adherence was 36.1%. The identified significant predictors of low medication adherence were the low treatment control perception (p=0.044), high diabetes identity perception (p=0.008), being male (p=0.026), and employed (p=0.008).ConclusionDiabetes illness perceptions of type 2 diabetic Libyans play a role in guiding the medication adherence and could be considered in the development of medication adherence promotion plans.

Determinants of Medication Adherence Among Iranian Elderly Patients with Chronic Diseases

“…This finding was consistent with the results of a university in America, therefore, those who had little recognition of bronchial asthma symptoms had less medication adherence (13), however, this finding had an inconsistency with another study in Libya. In that study, people who had experienced diabetes symptoms had lower medication adherence (23). This contradiction can be justified by the reasons that in the Iranian culture patients go to the doctor if they experience symptoms and they try to control their symptoms by compelling prescribed treatment.…”

Publication Productivity Pattern of Malaysian Researchers in Scopus from 1995 to 2015

“…[128] It is evident from Table 6 that the United States of America has the highest total numbers with total of 27 086 collaborative publication papers. Most of the publication have been collaborated with the United States are in the subject area of Medicine, [129,130] Agricultural and Biological Sciences [131] and Environmental Science and Biochemistry. [132] Second highest total numbers in collaboration publications in twenty years period of time was United Kingdom with 19575 articles and most of the collaboration were in subject area of Medicine, [133] Social Science [133] and Engineering.…”

Exploring the relationship between health beliefs and medication adherence in individuals with asthma

“…subscale) has been previously correlated with different measures of medication adherence in asthma 164 and other chronic conditions, 80,169,172,173,175,[178][179][180][181] this is the first study to find that the relationship is moderated by perceived understanding of asthma. This suggests that addressing treatment control beliefs is likely to be more effective in individuals with poor understanding than those with a good understanding of asthma.…”

“…180,[184][185][186] Other findings suggest there is not a strong relationship between the understanding subscale and adherence. 64,158,167,169 The cause subscale is usually analysed as a categorical variable. The perceived cause of illness is generally categorised into different factors (e.g.…”

“…Treatment control perceptions has been previously reported to be a predictor of adherence in asthma 164 and other chronic conditions. 80,169,172,173,178,179,181 These beliefs appear particularly important for adherence in asymptomatic conditions because the treatment may not cause any noticeable changes in the condition (e.g. symptom relief) and this may lead the individual to believe there is no need for their medication.…”