Intention to use short messaging services for promoting drug adherence among individuals with diabetes in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND

Suboptimal medication adherence among individuals with diabetes presents a significant challenge in low-income nations. Growing evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of text messaging interventions to enhance medication adherence. This study assesses the intention to use Short Messaging Service (SMS) based reminder services in promoting drug adherence among diabetic patients and associated factors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

METHODS

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 06, 2023, to March 27, 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A sample of 351 patients was selected using systematic random sampling. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Binary and multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between intention to use SMS reminders to promote drug adherence among individuals with diabetes and related factors.

RESULTS

A total of 333 respondents, with a 94.87% response rate, were interviewed for this study. The majority of respondents, 66.4 % (95% CI [61.9-71.2]), expressed an intention to use SMS-based reminder services to promote their drug adherence. Age < 45 years (AOR = 5.73, 95% CI [2.07-15.73]), higher educational level (AOR = 3.03, 95% CI [1.16-7.90]), type of diabetes (AOR = 3.71, 95% CI [1.16-7.90]), oral medication users (AOR = 2.99, 95% CI [1.42-6.32]), SMS as a preferred medium for communication (AOR = 2.86, 95% CI [1.17-7.00]) were deemed to be important variables linked to intention to use SMS reminders to promote drug adherence among individuals with diabetes.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest the majority of individuals with diabetes have intention to use SMS reminders to enhance adherence. This result indicates the potential for utilization of SMS reminders to enhance adherence to diabetic medications. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of tailored interventions that take into account patient characteristics and preferences as factors that influence intention when designing such an intervention.