Adherence to Medications in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease in Oman

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of adherence to medications in patients with IHD in Oman and assess the factors influencing it. Methods: This was a cross sectional questionnaire-based study among patients with IHD. Results: A total of 105 patients (Mean age 49.9+11.1 years; 78.1% male) were recruited. Most of the patients take the medications by themselves (84 or 80%). 77 patients (73.3%) said that over the preceding two weeks, they missed at least three doses. The reasons for missing included forgetting (100%), too many tablets (57%), not effective (48%) and too many times a day (23%). There were no factors that could be identified that made patients prone to not taking medications. Conclusion: Medication adherence was low among patients with IHD in Oman with high pill burden the most common reason for non-adherence. Physicians must keep this in mind when patients are reviewed.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease, adherence, myocardial infarction.