Low Socio-Economic Level: A Major Obstacle to Therapeutic Observation (Survey of 125 Diabetic Patients)

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetic patients adhering to their treatment are less likely to face complication from their disease. For this reason, we studied the compliance of diabetics with their treatment. Materials and Method: This was a comprehensive cross-sectional study of adherence in diabetic patients. All patients meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. This study took place at a private pharmacy called “pharmacy Elhadj Seydou Nourou Tall” located in the city of Pikine during the period from April 1 to September 30, 2019. Results: In total, the study population was composed of 125 diabetics; frequency of 8.47%. The average age was 62.5 years and there were more women (58.4%). Of the patients, 87% had a low socioeconomic level and 72% a low educational level. Only 65.6% of the patients knew their diabetes type. Even though 97.6% of the patients were confident in the treatment but due to financial reasons 20.8% did not adhere to the prescribed treatment and 16.8% to their diets. Moreover, 15.2% of the patients had changed the dosage of the prescribed medication, 44.4% had forgotten to take their medication regularly. 78.4% of them thought they were taking too much medication. No factors were found to be statistically associated with poor adherence, but the proportion of poor adherence patients was higher in patients over 60 years of age, with low socio-economic status and low education. Conclusion: Low socio-economic status is the main barrier to good adherence. Recommendations have been formulated to improve this adherence.