Polypharmacy and Medication Compliance among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Oman: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy and medication compliance among patients with T2DM at a primary care clinic in Muscat, Oman, to determine whether various sociodemographic and clinical factors were associated with polypharmacy and to assess relationships between polypharmacy, compliance, and self-related health. It is a cross-sectional study conducted between September and November 2019 and included all adult T2DM patients attending the clinic. Data were collected using a questionnaire, face-to-face interviews, and electronic medical records. A total of 202 T2DM patients were included. The majority were female (56.9%) and ≥60 years old (45.5%). Most had two or more chronic health conditions (66.3%). The prevalence of polypharmacy was 83.1%. Overall, 65% and 92% of patients reported a high level of adherence to treatment and good-to-excellent health, respectively. In conclusion, Polypharmacy was common among T2DM patients and was significantly associated with age, common comorbidities, and T2DM duration.

Drug Utilization Evaluation of Antidiabetic Agents in Primary Care Clinics of a South Indian Rural Province

“…Most of the patients were treated with multiple antidiabetic medications especially the combinations of metformin and other OHAs to control the hyperglycemia, moreover, hypoglycemia is low when using biguanides (except when used in combination with a sulfonylurea) because of their glucosedependent mechanism of action. Metformin is endorsed in diabetes treatment guidelines as first-line therapy due to its low cost, favorable safety profile (e.g., low hypoglycemia risk), and potential cardiovascular benefits [43][44][45].…”