Adherence to Diabetes Medication: Why It’s Important
Managing diabetes successfully can be challenging. Patients with good diabetes self-care behaviors usually attain glycemic control. However, some diabetes regimens can be complex, and many patients do not achieve glycemic control. As a result, patients continue to suffer diabetes related health problems.
Case managers, among other health care providers, recognize that if patients with diabetes adhered to treatment recommendations, they could manage long-term diabetes-related complications. The fact that so many patients do not adhere to treatment recommendations can be very frustrating.
What affects adherence?
There are many reasons for nonadherence to diabetes regimens:
- Fear of treatment side effects, such as hypoglycemia (too low blood sugar)
- Needle anxiety (injectable therapies)
- Inconvenience or complexity of a prescribed treatment
- Cost of treatment or formulary issues
- Poor patient knowledge about the importance of glycemic control