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. 2010 Jun;19(2):148-54.
doi: 10.4104/pcrj.2010.00004.

Correlates of adherence to respiratory drugs in COPD patients

Laurent Laforest  1 , Francois Denis, Eric Van Ganse, Cecile Ritleng, Christel Saussier, Nadine Passante, Gilles Devouassoux, Gerard Chatté, Nathalie Freymond, Yves Pacheco
Affiliations

Correlates of adherence to respiratory drugs in COPD patients

Laurent Laforest et al. Prim Care Respir J. 2010 Jun.

Abstract

Aims: To identify the correlates of accidental omissions and intentional interruptions of respiratory therapy in COPD.

Methods: COPD patients (GOLD stages II-IV) were recruited by general practitioners or respiratory physicians. Patients reported in self-report questionnaires their adherence to respiratory drugs (over the past three months) and their perception of therapy.

Results: 179 patients were included (mean age 63 years, 24% females). 45% forgot their respiratory therapy, while 30% interrupted it in the absence of any perceived benefit. The risks of accidental omissions were significantly higher when patients complained about having too many medications to take on a daily basis (OR=2.35; 95%CI=1.13-4.89), and among current smokers (OR=2.14; 95%CI=1.07-4.29). Females were more likely to interrupt therapy intentionally (OR=2.40; 95%CI=1.04-5.53). Surprisingly, there was no significant relationship with the number of drugs actually taken by patients.

Conclusions: Adherence to respiratory drugs is inadequate in COPD patients. In order to improve adherence, patients' perception of the burden of therapy should not be overlooked.

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Conflict of interest statement

F Denis is an employee of Boehringer-Ingelheim France, but he was not involved at any stage of the analyses and interpretation of results, which were performed by the Pharmacoepidemiology Unit in Lyon. There is no conflict of interest for any other author.

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