Non-Compliance to Doctors’ Advices among Patients Suffering from Various Diseases: Patients’ Perspectives: A Neglected Issue

Authors

  • Khalida Naz Memon Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Community Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro
  • Nudrat Zeba Shaikh Asst. Professor, Dept. of Community Medicine, Isra University, Hyderabad
  • Rafique Ahmed Soomro Professor, Dept. of Community Medicine, Liquat National Hospital and Medical College
  • Shazia Rehman Shaikh Asst. Professor, Dept. of Community Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro
  • Anza Mansoor Khwaja Basic Sciences (MBBS) Student, Isra University, Hyderabad

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/jom.v18i1.31170

Keywords:

Non-compliance, compliance, doctors’ advice, patients’ perspective

Abstract

Background: An acknowledgement of the patients perspectives about compliance towards doctors advices is critical in ensuring better results of medical consultation. The compliance to therapies is a primary determinant of treatment success.The authors found a serious dearth of research on this issue.

Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the frequency & determinants of non-compliance towards doctors advices among study subjects.

Method: The current community based descriptive cross sectional study was conducted on 230 subjects suffering from various illnesses. The patients were enrolled using convenience sampling. The data was collected on pre-structured Performa. The data comprises of questions regarding Patients compliance to doctor advises, that may be preventive, promotive and therapeutic care.

Results: The mean age of respondents was 36.6 ± 7.4 years. The overall compliance to doctors advice was seen among 31.2% subjects. Compliance to treatment advice was 35.8 %; while towards health promotive advices was 29.5% & towards preventive advices against diseases was 28.4 percent.Seventy three percent of the total compliance was seento general practitionersin contrast to consultants i.e. 26.4%.Significant association was seen between compliance & older age (p=0.02), non-infectious diseases (p=0.04), severity of disease (p=0.01), oral route of administration (p=0.00) & shorter duration of disease (p=0.00). The results of association of compliance with gender however remained statistically insignificant.

Conclusion: The study indicated that non-compliance towards doctors advices is a big public health issue & it should be taken as a hidden risk factor for diseases. The compliance towardsdoctorsadvice was more prevalent for non-communicable diseases compared to communicable diseases. Additionally, fear of side effects and high cost of medicine were two major reasons for treatment non-compliance.

J MEDICINE January 2017; 18 (1) : 10-14

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Author Biography

Khalida Naz Memon, Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Community Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro



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Published

2017-01-17

How to Cite

Memon, K. N., Shaikh, N. Z., Soomro, R. A., Shaikh, S. R., & Khwaja, A. M. (2017). Non-Compliance to Doctors’ Advices among Patients Suffering from Various Diseases: Patients’ Perspectives: A Neglected Issue. Journal of Medicine, 18(1), 10–14. https://doi.org/10.3329/jom.v18i1.31170

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (2017)

Section

Original Articles

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