BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of evidence on the association between satisfaction with quality of care and adherence to antidepressants.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between patient satisfaction with healthcare and adherence to antidepressants.

METHODS

A cohort study design was used to identify antidepressant users from the 2010-2016Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, a national longitudinal complex survey study design on the cost and healthcare utilization of the noninstitutionalized population in the United States. The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems were used to measure participants' satisfaction with access and quality of care, patient-provider communication and shared decision-making (SDM). Patients were considered satisfied if they ranked the quality of care at ≥9 (range: 0[worst]- 10[best]). Antidepressant adherence was measured based on medication refill and complete discontinuation. MEPS sampling survey-weighted multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between satisfaction and adherence to antidepressants. We tested for the potential presence of reverse associations by restricting the analysis to new users of antidepressants. The roles of patient-provider communication and SDM on the satisfaction-adherence association were examined through structural equation models (SEM).

RESULTS

Among 4,990 (weighted counts = 8,661,953) antidepressant users, 36% were adherent while 39% discontinued antidepressants therapy. Half of antidepressant users were satisfied with the healthcare received. Satisfied patients were 26% (OR = 1.26, 95%CI: 1.08, 1.47) more likely to adhere and 17% (OR = 0.83, 95%CI: 0.71, 0.96) less likely to discontinue, compared to unsatisfied antidepressant users. Patient satisfaction was also associated with higher odds (OR = 1.41, 95%CI: 1.06, 1.88) of adherence among a subgroup of new users of antidepressants. The SEM analysis revealed that satisfaction was a manifestation of patient-provider communication (β = 2.03, P-value<0.001) and SDM (β = 1.14, P-value<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patient satisfaction is a potential predictor of antidepressant adherence. If our findings are confirmed through intervention studies, improving patient-provider communication and SDM could likely drive both patient satisfaction and adherence to antidepressants.