Improving Medication Adherence in Adult Populations with Diabetes

Medication non-adherence constitutes a significant barrier to the effective management of diabetes and can place a severe burden on healthcare system. Despite the development of new medications, diabetes remains the 7th leading cause of death in the United States (Hirsch et al.,2021). This quality improvement project was conducted in a primary care setting to assess and improve medication adherence.in adults with diabetes. The adherence to medication was measured by the Adherence Starts with Knowledge-12(ASK-12) survey. The interventional strategies included medication-specific education, self-management of glucose monitoring, and a follow-up program using telephone calls, text messages, or mobile health applications. A total of eighteen eligible participants' ((72.2% female; mean age 62.06 y; 94.4% Afro-Caribbeans) ASK-12 questionnaire scores (pre and post) and Hemoglobin A1c (HgA1c) (pre and post) level were used for final data analysis. A paired sample t-test of ASK-12 scores demonstrated an improvement in medication adherence, from an average of (M=30.28, SD=6.28) on the pre-test to (M=14.39, SD=2.15) on the post-test [t (17) =12.14, p < 0.001, Cohen’ d=2.86]. A paired sample t-test of HgA1c results were also statistically significant with a decrease of the HgA1c from an average of (M= 9.1, SD=1.76) on the pre-test to M=7.9, SD=1.14) on post-test, [t (17) =5.49, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d =1.293]. This project highlights the positive impact of routine monitoring, medication-specific education, and follow-up reminders on improving medication adherence and glycemic control.