Medication Adherence Among Outpatients with Gastric and Duodenal Ulcers at Ha Trung District General Hospital, Thanh Hoa Province

Abstract

Objective: To assess medication adherence among outpatients with gastric and duodenal ulcers at Ha Trung District General Hospital, Thanh Hoa province. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 92 patients diagnosed with gastric and duodenal ulcers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire and the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Results: The mean MMAS-8 score was 6.20 ± 1.72. Overall, 80.4% of patients were adherent to medication, with 64.1% showing moderate adherence and only 16.3% demonstrating high adherence. In contrast, 19.6% of patients had low adherence. The main barriers to medication adherence were being busy (33.33%), forgetfulness (23.08%), and lack of reminders (17.94%). When a dose was missed, most patients either skipped the missed dose (66.7%) or took it as soon as they remembered (20.5%), while only 10.2% consulted a doctor. In addition, 17.4% of patients reported discontinuing medication once symptoms improved, and 40.2% considered daily medication use inconvenient. Conclusion: Medication adherence among patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers was fairly good but remained suboptimal. Subjective factors, particularly busy schedules and forgetfulness, were the main barriers. Enhanced clinical pharmacy counseling, clear guidance on missed-dose management, and medication reminder systems are needed to improve treatment outcomes.