The Barriers to Medication Adherence Amongst Adults People Living with Type 2 Diabetes in Saudi Arabia And Interventions to improve Adherence to Medication

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background: Type 2 Diabetes is a disease that causes increase glucose (sugar) in the blood causing serious health concerns and other complications if not treated (Al-Dawish et al., 2016). Non-adherence to medication is a huge problem with poorly managed diabetes which can lead to increased mortality and morbidity rate (Currie et al., 2012). Several studies have shown the various barriers to compliance to medication adherence and interventions that can improve good glycaemic control (Khattab et al., (2010); Al Hayek et al., (2013); Mokabel et al., (2017); Rabba et al., (2017); Alyami et al., (2019). Furthermore, clinical guidelines recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO) (2019) to adhere to medication regime by diabetes patients to improve health, glycaemic control and minimise complications. However, there are still further research that need to be done to address these approaches. Aims: The Structured Literature Review (SLR) aimed at exploring various barriers to medication adherence and interventions in order to minimise their impact on type 2 diabetes patients Methods: An intensive search of various databases such as CINAHL, PROQUEST, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and TRIP using Boolean operators, MeSH termsand keywords for the search between May 2020 and September 2020 for the selection and analysis of eligible studies. These was done based on the exclusion and inclusion criteria. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) was employed for the searching process and study reports. The JBI tool and CEBM Critical Appraisal tool was used for the quality assessment of the studies included in the review. Results: Five studies enrolled a total number of 1354 of participants. The JBI tool and CEBM Critical appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of the studies thoroughly. The Meta-analysis was not carried out because of five studies included and a single reviewer, hence a narrative synthesis was done. All the barriers like beliefs, perception, lifestyle, lack of exercise and other factors affect T2DM patients in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Although, regular exercise, modification to lifestyle, diet, educational programs, adherence to anti-diabetic drugs and other interventions could help improve glycaemic control and minimise complications. Conclusion: The reviewer concluded the need to address various factors to combat poor adherence of medication, promote educational programs, exercise, diet, adherence to medication and improved healthy living.