Therapeutic adherence in the elderly involved in a health care program

Abstract

From an epidemiological point of view, the increase in the elderly population leads to an increase in chronic non communicable diseases, making this population the main consumer of medications. Simultaneous treatment of various health problems, common in the elderly, can result in a complex and long-term therapeutic regimen requiring the correct follow-up of the therapy in order to avoid serious consequences. Adherence to treatment is an active attitude, with the voluntary and collaborative involvement of the patient acting together with the professional. Thus, the objective of this study was to describe adherence to treatment among elderly individuals, who are inserted in a program of care for the elderly with chronic diseases. This was a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional analysis. A total of 69 elderly people, independent of their daily living activities, who had no cognitive and/or psychiatric problems diagnosed, attended the health service at Nossa Senhora do Rosario Parish for at least one month. For the collection of demographic and epidemiological data, an instrument was elaborated by the authors; to measure adherence to the Morisky-Green Test and the therapeutic complexity by Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI). Regarding the presence of diseases, 46 (68.6%) reported having hypertension and 29 (43.3%) dyslipidemia, 18 (26.9%) presented high adherence and 49 (73.1%) medium/low adherence; as for the therapeutic complexity measured by MRCI, the ranged went from 2.5 to 46.5 points among individuals using one to 12 drugs. In this sample, moderate/low adherence was identified with moderate therapeutic complexity, making it clear that health monitoring and education should be prioritized by nurses.