Graduate Open University of Cyprus, Municipality of Pilea Hortiatis, Department of Social Protection & Volunteering, 1 Agiou Xristoforou str, Pilea 55535 Greece.
University of Ioannina, Arachthos Bridge 47100 Arta, Greece.
Health Policy. 2020 Sep;124(9):971-976. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2020.05.025. Epub 2020 Jun 25.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the degree to which chronic patients adhered to medication regimens during the economic crisis in Greece. It is a quantitative cross-sectional study, with a convenience sample of 1,009 residents of Western and Northern Greece, aged ≥ 18 years, with chronic health problems. The survey was conducted between February and June 2016. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions, filled out during face to face interviews with all participants. The vast majority of respondents (94.5 %) said that they were able to buy prescribed drugs but had to economise in other ways (for example, by cutting back on clothing and travel) to cope with essential household expenses, including medication. Only 71 % of participants said they remembered to take their prescribed medications every day, following all of their physicians' recommendations. Almost 70 % of participants said that using generic medications made it easier to adhere to their treatment regimens. The results of a correlation analysis showed that patients experiencing financial hardships as a result of health problems were less likely to adhere to pharmaceutical care regiments than those who were not experiencing financial difficulties (p = 0.026). Men had a higher level of adherence than women (p = 0.001).
本研究旨在调查在希腊经济危机期间，慢性病患者遵循药物治疗方案的程度。这是一项定量的横断面研究，采用方便样本，包括来自希腊西部和北部的 1009 名年龄≥18 岁的慢性病患者。调查于 2016 年 2 月至 6 月期间进行。通过封闭式的结构化问卷收集数据，由所有参与者进行面对面访谈填写。绝大多数受访者（94.5%）表示他们能够购买处方药物，但必须通过其他方式（例如减少服装和旅行支出）来应对基本的家庭开支，包括药物费用。只有 71%的参与者表示他们按照医生的建议每天记得服用规定的药物。近 70%的参与者表示，使用通用药物更容易遵循他们的治疗方案。相关性分析的结果表明，由于健康问题而面临经济困难的患者比没有经济困难的患者更不可能遵循药物治疗方案（p=0.026）。男性比女性的依从性更高（p=0.001）。
