Abstract
Our aim was to measure the adherence to Artemisinin based Combination Therapy and to determine patient related factors that affect adherence. Three hundred (300) patients receiving ACT treatment dispensed from the community pharmacy were randomly selected and followed up on the fourth day after the start of their three-day therapy to assess adherence. Adherence was measured by pill count. Quantitative interviews using a semistructured questionnaire were used to assess patients' knowledge and beliefs on malaria and its treatment. Adherence levels to the ACTs were 57.3%. Patient related factors that affected adherence to ACTs were patients' knowledge on the dosage (P = 0.007; v = 0.457), efficacy (P = 0.009; v = 0.377), and side effects (P = 0.000; v = 0.403) of the ACTs used for the management of malaria, patients' awareness of the consequences of not completing the doses of antimalarial dispensed (P = 0.001; v = 0.309), and patients' belief that "natural remedies are safer than medicines" and "prescribers place too much trust in medicines." There was no significant relationship between adherence and patients' knowledge on the causes, signs, and symptoms of malaria. There is the need for pharmacy staff to stress on these variabl...Continue Reading
References
Aug 5, 2005·The New England Journal of Medicine·Lars Osterberg, Terrence Blaschke
Jul 18, 2006·Patient Education and Counseling·Johnson GeorgeKay Stewart
Mar 11, 2008·The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANAC·Jeanne KemppainenValerie S Spencer
Dec 10, 2008·The New England Journal of Medicine·Harald NoedlUNKNOWN Artemisinin Resistance in Cambodia 1 (ARC1) Study Consortium
Feb 21, 2009·Malaria Journal·Khumbulani W HlongwanaRajendra Maharaj
Jul 31, 2009·The New England Journal of Medicine·Arjen M DondorpNicholas J White
Feb 5, 2010·Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·Sibylle GerstlJacob Maikere
Jul 7, 2010·BMC Public Health·Safari M Kinung'hiLeonard E G Mboera
May 20, 2011·Current Clinical Pharmacology·Carlos De las Cuevas
Sep 17, 2011·Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·Kimberly E MaceJacek Skarbinski
Sep 29, 2011·Malaria Journal·Harriet LawfordRichard Allan
Jan 1, 2010·Malaria Research and Treatment·Humphrey D MazigoJorg Heukelbach
Jun 26, 2012·BMC Infectious Diseases·Elizabeth O OnyangoCollins Ouma
Apr 10, 2013·BMC Public Health·Andargie AbateBerhanu Erko
Citations
Jul 15, 2015·Journal of Tropical Medicine·Ahmad M YakasaiFatimah Hassan-Hanga
Feb 12, 2020·Malaria Journal·Helen Byomire NdagijeNiko Speybroeck
May 7, 2019·Journal of Tropical Medicine·Abraham Rexford OduroPatricia Akweongo
Aug 15, 2018·Journal of Tropical Medicine·Agani AfayaMilipaak Japiong