Drug Adherence and Its Association With Health Literacy Among Patients With Autoimmune Bullous Diseases



Hatami P¹ ; Sadeghinia A¹ ; Mahmoudi H¹ ; Daneshpazhooh M¹ ; Hashemi N¹ ; Aryanian Z¹ ; Kianfar N¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology Published:2023

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite the emergence of novel medications, poor drug adherence is an obstacle toward disease management in patients with autoimmune bullous dermatoses (AIBDs). OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate medication adherence among patients with AIBDs and determine the impact of health literacy on adherence. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional survey of patients with AIBDs who attended Razi Hospital from May to October 2021. Drug adherence and health literacy were assessed using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 (MMAS-8; scored 0–8) and Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA; scored 0–100) questionnaires, respectively. Multivariable ordinal regression, including the covariates age, sex, education level, and annual income, were employed for analyses. RESULTS: Two hundred participants with a mean±standard deviation (SD) age of 50.3±13.5 years were recruited. The female:male ratio was 1.2. About half (53%) of the patients reported good adherence (MMAS-8 score of 8) to their AIBD medications. Moreover, limited health literacy, with a mean±SD score of 57.8±25.8, was noted. Multivariable ordinal regression indicated that literacy score was significantly associated with good drug adherence (odds ratio [OR]: 0.11 per 1 score of health literacy increase, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09–0.14). CONCLUSION: These findings showed suboptimal drug adherence and health literacy of patients with AIBDs. Improving patient health literacy might be a way to increase drug adherence. © 2023 Matrix Medical Communications. All rights reserved.