Parents’ Adherence to Medical Advices about Administering Levothyroxine Therapy to their Hypothyroid Children

Abstract Background: The most frequent reason for unsatisfactory thyroid disease control is poor adherence to treatment. In order to increase adherence to treatment, health care providers should give caregivers precise instructions. Objectives: To evaluate parents’ adherence to medical advice about administering levothyroxine to their hypothyroid children, and whether a child’s age and sex, duration of disease, the presence of additional chronic diseases, and who is the caregiver have an impact on their compliance. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at pediatric endocrinology outpatient clinic in in Iraqi National Endocrine and Diabetes Center. It is a 2-part questionnaire-based study, done by face-to-face interview. First part included patients’ demographic data, whereas second part questions were related to parental adherence to the medical advice about levothyroxine administration. Parents were considered compliant if they strict to all three rules (giving the medicine daily on an empty stomach and 30-60 minutes before eating). Results: Fifty-four hypothyroid children were recruited. 83.3% of parents never forgot to give levothyroxine to their children; 87% and 83.3% gave it always on an empty stomach and 30–60 min before eating, respectively. 74% of parents were compliant to levothyroxine administration rules. There was no significant association between parents’ compliance and the patient’s age and sex, duration of hypothyroidism, presence of other chronic diseases, and the caregiver. Conclusions: Poor parents’ adherence to medical advices is still a problem, and it is not related to the patient’s age and sex, disease duration, presence of other chronic disease, nor caregiver.