Self-reported prevalence and factors associated with nonadherence with glaucoma medications in veteran outpatients.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the current study was to determine the self-reported prevalence of and factors associated with nonadherence with glaucoma medications in veteran outpatients.


METHODS
This survey study was conducted at a Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic. A survey was administered to patients with glaucoma. We calculated the percentage of self-reported adherence with glaucoma medications in each patient. Logistic regression was used to assess whether patient characteristics and difficulties with using glaucoma medications were related to patients' reporting that they were <100% adherent with their glaucoma medications in the previous week.


RESULTS
The survey was completed by 141 patients (men, 91.5%; mean [SD] age, 70.22 [11.60] years [range, 37-93 years]; black race, 45.4%; white race, 44.0%; "other" or data unavailable, 10.6%). Nonwhite patients were significantly less adherent in the previous week than were white patients (27.0% vs 11.3%; P < 0.05). A total of 67.4% patients reported > or =1 difficulty in using their glaucoma medications. The 3 most commonly reported difficulties were "drops fall on cheek" (29.1%), "too many drops come out" (20.6%), and "hard to read print" (17.0%). A total of 19.1% of patients self-reported using <100% of their glaucoma medications in the previous week. The number of difficulties reported was significantly associated with reporting being <100% adherent in the previous week (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
In this small sample of VA patients with glaucoma, adherence to glaucoma medications could be improved, especially among those who reported difficulties using their medications and those who were nonwhite.
Sleath
Betsy
B
Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. Betsy_Sleath@unc.edu
Ballinger
Rex
R
Covert
David
D
Robin
Alan L
AL
Byrd
John E
JE
Tudor
Gail
G
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016903:Drug Monitoring