Medication Knowledge and Adherence in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Brunei Darussalam: A Pioneer Study in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

Aim: The present study measured the medication knowledge and medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes in Brunei Darussalam. Demographic details and diabetes knowledge were also evaluated. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted via the administration of a structured questionnaire consisting of 4 sections via a face-to-face interview. Results: A total of 118 participants were interviewed. A majority of the participants were aged 40 years or above (106, 89.8%). The mean number of total medications that the participants were taking was 7.36 ± 2.87 and the mean number of antidiabetic medications was 2.39 ± 1.06. As for the antidiabetic therapy, the largest proportion of the participants were taking oral antidiabetic medications only (87, 73.73%). In the diabetes knowledge section of the questionnaire, more than half of the participants (63, 53.34%) scored higher than the acquired mean score. Family history, education level, and total medications taken were significantly correlated with diabetes knowledge. However, in the medication knowledge section of the questionnaire, the mean score (3.37 ± 1.38) was below the intended score for good knowledge. Medication knowledge has been significantly associated with gender, family history and total medications taken. A majority of the participants reported non-adherence (74, 62.71%) due to various reasons. In this study, those of the Malay race were significantly correlated with adherence to their medication regimen. This study also revealed that there is no significant relationship between diabetes knowledge, medication knowledge and medication adherence. Conclusions: The present study provides insights in regard to patients with type 2 diabetes in Brunei Darussalam and their knowledge towards the disease as well as their medications. Despite the lack of significance between the variables, the rate of non-adherence is still alarming. Further studies are required to better understand the barriers to non-adherence in these patients.

Medication Adherence and Its Associated Factors among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Attending Primary Health Centers of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

“…The present study found that participants’ diabetes knowledge is positively correlated with medication adherence (rho = 0.425, p < 0.001). Similar to the present study, AlShayban et al, Kassahun et al, and Haskani et al reported that patients with a good knowledge of diabetes had better medication adherence and, in turn, better glycemic control [ 10 , 38 , 42 ]. The present study found a weakly positive correlation between participants’ brief perception of diabetes and medication adherence (rho = 0.217, p = 0.007).…”

“…Patients’ awareness of and knowledge about their chronic illness and its management are two of the essential components for their better understanding of the treatment protocols [ 10 , 11 ]. Previous studies demonstrated that in order to properly self-manage diabetes, a patient must have a thorough understanding of medications, food, exercise, home glucose monitoring, foot care, and necessary treatment changes.…”

Application of Home Medication Review (HMR) on Patient Adherence in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) Blood Sugar Management

“…If this situation is left unchecked and lasts a long time, it will cause both macrovascular and microvascular complications. The reasons for patients' not-adherence to carrying out therapy in this study were factors for forgetting to take medication, patients already feeling healthy, complex therapy regimens, and patients feeling worried about the side effects of the drugs they took for a long time [28].…”

Diabetes Mellitus and Its Therapy in Brunei Darussalam – A Critical Revisit

“…Due to the high prevalence of T2DM in the sultanate, the government has been implementing several initiatives to curtail the disease prevalence. 4 The rising obesity issue among youth in Brunei also triggered alarm to nip the problem in the bud before it leads to metabolic syndromes such as DM. 5 , 6 …”

“…Due to the high prevalence of T2DM in the sultanate, the government has been implementing several initiatives to curtail the disease prevalence. 4 The rising obesity issue among youth in Brunei also triggered alarm to nip the problem in the bud before it leads to metabolic syndromes such as DM. 5,6 These programmes use a variety of strategies, including health promotion and health education campaigns, in an effort to increase public knowledge of diabetes prevention.…”