Assessment to barriers of medication adherence among patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Medication adherence among diabetes mellitus (DM) patients in Indonesia was predominantly low or nonadherent. Poor adherence raises the risk of developing diabetes-related complications. Specific barriers contribute to the lack of adherence DM patients. The study aimed to identify barriers to medication adherence among DM patients in a primary healthcare center in Indonesia. The cross-sectional study was conducted in 27 primary healthcare centers in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. Patients with DM type 2 were recruited using a purposive sampling technique between February and March 2023. The Diabetes Medication Adherence Barriers Questionnaire (DMAB-Q) was used to assess barriers to medication adherence. A total of 455 patients with type 2 DM participated in this study. The results of the study found that there were various barriers to medication adherence. In terms of medication-related factors, symptoms that do not immediately improve (65,1%), side effects (55,4%), and the complexity of the medication regimen (58,9%) were reported. Regarding patient-related factors, lack of understanding of treatment goals (65,1%), negative perception of medication (53,0%), take medicine only when ordered by the pharmacist (32,5%), forgetting to take medication (28,4%), feeling bored, and feeling obligated to take medication every day (43,3%) were identified. As for pharmacistrelated factors, the inability of patients to consult pharmacists promptly when encountering issues with their diabetes medication was prevalent (76,9%). Based on this study, it can be concluded that patient-related factors are the most dominant barriers to medication adherence among patients with diabetes mellitus.