Publication

Abstract :

Introduction: The public health of India is increasingly burdened by chronic diseases. Epilepsy is one among them which changes its faces with changing demographics. Patient compliance and identification of the factors affecting patient compliance are the keystone deciding the success of the treatment. Objectives: (1) Assess the compliance to therapeutic regimen among patients with epilepsy, (2) identify the factors affecting compliance to the therapeutic regimen among patients with epilepsy, and (3) find the association between compliance to therapeutic regimen among patients with epilepsy and selected variables.

Methodology: Hundred epilepsy patients from outpatient departments of General Medicine and Neurology, Government Medical College, Thrissur, were selected using convenient sampling. Semi-structured interview was conducted using rating scale to assess the compliance to therapeutic regimen and checklist to identify the factors influencing the patient compliance. The data collected were organized and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: More than half (51%) of patients with epilepsy reported good compliance to therapeutic regimen and 49% of patients reported average compliance to therapeutic regimen. There was statistically significant association between compliance to therapeutic regimen among patients with epilepsy and their marital status (p<0.05), their duration of treatment (p<0.01), and monthly family income (p<0.05).

Conclusion: This study concludes that majority of patients reported financial burden, lack of health education, difficulty in performing job due to disease as major factors affecting their compliance to therapeutic regimen of epilepsy. Also, there is a significant association between compliance and marital status, duration of treatment, and monthly family income of the patient