Scoping review of the association of health literacy and numeracy with medication adherence among adults with Type 2 diabetes
Author: Kristine Eves S. Garcia, Mac Ardy J. Gloria, Imelda G. Peña
Category: Pharmacy
Abstract:
One of the pillars of diabetes management is the adherence of patients to their medication regimen. However, patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) become non-adherent when they have a poor understanding of their regimen due to low health literacy and numeracy skills. This study comprehensively reviews research which estimated the association of health literacy and numeracy with medication adherence of adult, T2DM patients. Seventeen articles which involved 4,384 participants were included. Only six studies (35.3%) found a significant association between health literacy and adherence with two also having a significant link between numeracy and adherence. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the adapted Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. In conclusion, the association among the variables studied remains unclear, but the results of the review highlight the importance of quantitatively exploring the impact of health literacy and numeracy along with the other patient-related characteristics that may affect medication adherence.
Keywords: adherence, diabetes, health literacy, numeracy
