Evaluation and multivariate statistical analysis of factors influencing patient adherence to ophthalmic solutions

In this study, factors influencing patients adherence to ophthalmic solutions were investigated. Seventy-one subjects (aged 62.3±15.5 years) were randomly selected from patients admitted to the Ophthalmology Department at Hiroshima University Hospital. The patients (n=71) completed questionnaires, which were evaluated by clinical pharmacists. The patient group to which the ophthalmic solutions were applied once or twice daily was more compliant than other patient groups (p=0.00057). A multivariate statistical analysis revealed that the factors influencing patients adherence were the number of ophthalmic solutions used, patient age, taste, administration intervals, the number of drops used, and hand washing before the application of ophthalmic solutions. Patients who understood the significance of the medication made fewer mistakes than those who understood only the route of administration but not the significance. In conclusion, our study shows that patient counseling should emphasis the significance of the administered medicine as well as the route of administration.