Knowledge and practice of Medication Adherence among patients with Schizophrenia attending Hospitals in North-western Nigeria

Background: Adherence to psychiatric medications is a complex, dynamic behaviour requiring patients to initiate treatment and continue to take their medications at the correct time, in the correct dose, for prolonged periods of time. But, improving adherence in schizophrenia may have a considerable positive impact on patients and society in terms of quality of life. This can be achieved by focusing on the identified multitude of factors driving non-adherence.

Aim: This study assessed the knowledge and practice of medication adherence among patients with Schizophrenia attending hospitals in Northwestern part of Nigeria.

Methodology: A quasi-experimental psycho-educational intervention study was conducted with before and after design among patients with Schizophrenia and their family caregivers selected from some hospitals in Northwest Nigeria. The study population comprised all the eligible patients with schizophrenia and their family caregivers within the study area, who were selected and agreed to participate in the study. A sample size of one hundred and thirty participants each for both the experimental and control groups were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using Questionnaire Data collected was coded, entered, and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.

Result: There was an increase in the knowledge of schizophrenia and medication adherence, quality of life and level of medication adherence after the psycho-educational intervention.The predictors of medication adherence among the study participants in the experimental group include the following: type of treatment (ECT) (AOR=0.25, 95%CI= 0.18 – 0.75) was found to be negative predictor of medication adherence to treatment among study participants (AOR=0.25, 95%CI= 0.18 – 0.75). While, cost of treatment of more than one thousand five hundred naira per day (AOR=3.00, 95%CI=2.83 – 12.24).