Antibiotic Adherence Antibiotics have not only saved people’s lives from deadly diseases

Antibiotic Adherence
Antibiotics have not only saved people’s lives from deadly diseases, but they also play a significant role in achieving major advances in medicine and surgery. Despite these advances in pharmaceuticals and biotechnological drug discovery, the global population is still afflicted with many different kinds of diseases (Boateng, 2017). The microorganisms involved in the disease process undergo a certain amount of change in response to the introduction of antimicrobial drugs which typically occur through time due to genetic changes. However, poor Adherence and misuse of antimicrobial drugs accelerate the process of antimicrobial resistance which poses a global concern regarding health (WHO, 2017).
Antibiotic adherence pertains to following the instructions that were prescribed by the provider with respect to the timing, dosage, and frequency of medication taking (Cramer, et al., 2008). In addition to that, the WHO defines adherence as the degree to which the person’s behavior corresponds with the agreed recommendations from a health care provider.. Adherence to the medication therapy plays a crucial part on the overall patient care and it is indispensable for reaching the clinical goals (Lam, 2015). In adherence, their chief focus is on activities that will promote and value trust in a partnership to attain a maintained collaborative effort in obtaining health, enhance readiness, motivate and improve the patient’s capability to adhere to a plan to which both parties that agrees to it is doable (Gould, 2010). In addition, the WHO, in its 2003 report on medication Adherence, states that increasing the effectiveness of Adherence interventions may have a far greater impact on the health of the population than any improvement in specific medical treatment.
Antibiotic non-adherence means failure to follow certain drug regimen in a treatment or prevention of a disease. There are reasons why antibiotic non-Adherence is being shown by patients. First of all, when patients begin to feel better after taking a dose, they are not going to take the drug anymore because they worry about the financial expenses. Another reason are the side effects of the medications they experience (Axelsson, 2013).
According to a Chinese Survey, there are many reasons for non-adherence to antibiotic therapy. The most common reason of the subjects that participated in the study is fear of the adverse effects that can be caused by the long-term use of antibiotics. Other reasons of non-adherence were: “too busy in study or work” and “improvement of symptoms.” In addition to that, the study also found out that the age, marital status, family income, and patient’s understanding of the treatment is also associated with adherence to antibiotics (Tong, Pan, Lu, & Tang, 2018).
Moreover, according to National Stroke Association (NSA), the reasons of non-adherence to the drug regimen can be classified into social-economic factors, survivor-related factors, medication-related factors, and condition-related factors. The social-economic factors include the age and race, economic status, and medication cost. The survivor-related factors are comprised of forgetfulness, treatment anxiety, misunderstood instructions, and fear of becoming dependent on medications. The medication-related factors cover length of treatment, complexity of treatment, and unwanted side-effects. The condition-related factors cover other conditions, level of disability and severity of the condition.