Adherence to asthma medication and preferences for once-daily treatment: Importance of treatment intrusiveness and patient beliefs

Abstract

Patients with asthma who do not adhere to treatment may experience poor control, and subsequently need greater healthcare.

In a post-hoc analysis, we studied relationships between treatment adherence, asthma control, beliefs about medication, treatment intrusiveness, healthcare seeking and preference for OD vs BD maintenance medication using validated scales (Medication Adherence Report Scale [MARS], Asthma Control Test [ACT], Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire-Necessity Concerns Differential [BMQ-NCD], Asthma Treatment Intrusiveness Questionnaire [ATIQ]).

Patients were aged 18–55 yrs with self-reported asthma, ≥1 maintenance medications, recruited from 5 European countries (N=1010). Asthma was poorly controlled or uncontrolled in 46.1% of patients (ACT≤15); median MARS score=3.40, showed that most patients reported some nonadherence. Most patients (73.5%) preferred OD medication that was as effective as their current medication over a slightly more effective BD medication. Self-reported nonadherence was associated with poorer asthma control (r=0.262, p<0.001) and increased HCP visits (r=–0.075, p<0.05). Nonadherence (MARS) and preference for OD treatment were associated with perceptions of treatment (BMQ-NCD) and treatment intrusiveness (ATIQ; Table).

Results suggest a complex inter-relationship between patients' beliefs about medication, intrusiveness, treatment adherence and preference for OD vs BD maintenance medication that all impact asthma control, and should be considered when evaluating treatment options.

Funded by GSK (GHO-10-4705).