Study On Non-Adherence And The Effect Of Counseling In The Pharmacological Management Of Psychiatric Patients

Abstract

Treatment non-adherence remains one of the greatest challenges in psychiatry. Non-adherence prolongs the duration of therapy and hence the treatment cost increases. Hence this study was conducted to identify the factors contributing to non-adherence and to provide pharmaceutical care to avoid non-adherence. This prospective study was carried out in the psychiatric outpatient department (OPD) of Sri Ramachandra Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. 200 psychiatric patients were enrolled in the study for a period of 8 months. A standardized proforma was prepared for data collection. Non-compliance was assessed by Modified Morisky Scale (MMS) and Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI). Out of 200 patients, 117 were male and 83 were female. Reasons for non-adherence included failure to renew prescription (44%), omission of doses (33%) and premature discontinuation of medication (25%). Non-adherence is a common and important issue. Patients and their care-takers should be counseled during every visit to avoid medication non-adherence