title: Adherence to oral and topical medication in 445 patients with tinea pedis as assessed by the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adherence is defined as the extent to which a person's behavior corresponds with recommendations from health care providers. Adherence to treatment is an important factor for a good therapeutic outcome.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to examine the adherence of patients with tinea pedis and to clarify the factors related to it.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed medication adherence for oral and topical drugs using a translated version of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 (MMAS-8) together with other background factors in 445 Japanese patients with tinea pedis, using a questionnaire in a web-based monitoring system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, high, medium and low adherence rates as assessed by MMAS-8 were 8.7%, 31.7% and 59.6% for oral medication, and 8.6%, 17.4% and 74.0% for topical medication, respectively. The adherence level was significantly higher for oral medication than for topical medication. Subgroup analyses showed that the adherence level for topical medication was significantly higher when topical and oral medications were used in combination than when topical medication was used alone. A low adherence level was shown in employed patients, those for whom their oral medication had not been effective and those with topical medication who had visited their hospital less often than once every six months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient adherence to therapy can be effectively improved by selecting highly effective medication while considering the prescription of topical and oral antifungal medications concomitantly, by carefully selecting a therapy plan for employed patients and by encouraging patients to visit their doctor regularly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsunemi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Miwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitami
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Communication, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Onozuka
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Communication, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hagihara
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Federation of National Public Service Personnel Mutual Aid Associations, Hamanomachi Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murota
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hiragun
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Shimane, Japan.
authors.forename: Sakae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidehisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saeki
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric and Environmental Dermatology, Nagoya City University, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shintani
authors.affiliation: Tanioka Dermatology Clinic, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanioka
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imafuku
authors.affiliation: Kojinkai Sapporo Skin Clinic, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Immuno-Dermatology, Yokohama City University, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inomata
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Morisky
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masutaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furue
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Norito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katoh
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014008:Tinea Pedis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents
keywords: adherence; oral; scale; tinea pedis; topical