1. Medication availability and economic barriers to adherence in asthma and COPD patients in low-resource settings
- Author
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Aizhamal Tabyshova, Talant Sooronbaev, Azamat Akylbekov, Maamed Mademilov, Aida Isakova, Aidai Erkinbaeva, Kamila Magdieva, Niels H. Chavannes, Maarten J. Postma, Job F. M. van Boven, Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD (GRIAC), Value, Affordability and Sustainability (VALUE), Real World Studies in PharmacoEpidemiology, -Genetics, -Economics and -Therapy (PEGET), and Microbes in Health and Disease (MHD)
- Subjects
Pulmonary Disease ,Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,Asthma/drug therapy ,Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Chronic Obstructive/drug therapy ,Nebulizers and Vaporizers ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Humans ,Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/drug therapy ,Asthma ,Medication Adherence - Abstract
Inhaled medication is essential to control asthma and COPD, but availability and proper adherence are challenges in low-middle income countries (LMIC). Data on medication availability and adherence in Central Asia are lacking. We aimed to investigate the availability of respiratory medication and the extent of financially driven non-adherence in patients with COPD and asthma in Kyrgyzstan. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two regions of Kyrgyzstan. Patients with a physician- and spirometry confirmed diagnosis of asthma and/or COPD were included. The main outcomes were (1) availability of respiratory medication in hospitals and pharmacies, assessed by a survey, and (2) medication adherence, assessed by the Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI). Logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors for adherence. Of the 300 participants (COPD: 264; asthma: 36), 68.9% were buying respiratory medication out-of-pocket. Of all patients visiting the hospital, almost half reported medication not being available. In pharmacies, this was 8%. Poor adherence prevailed over intermediate and good adherence (80.7% vs. 12.0% and 7.3%, respectively). Deliberate and erratic non-adherence behavior patterns were the most frequent (89.7% and 88.0%), followed by an unconscious non-adherent behavioral pattern (31.3%). In total, 68.3% reported a financial reason as a barrier to proper adherence. Low BMI was the only factor significantly associated with good adherence. In this LMIC population, poor medication availability was common and 80% were poorly adherent. Erratic and deliberate non-adherent behaviors were the most common pattern and financial barriers play a role in over two-thirds of the population.
- Published
- 2021