Correlation Between Patient Characteristics and Medication Adherence Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Indonesian Primary Healthcare

Medication adherence is a key determinant of successful type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management, yet evidence regarding adherence levels and their correlation with patient characteristics in Indonesian primary healthcare remains limited. This study aimed to describe medication adherence levels and analyze the correlation between patient characteristics and medication adherence among patients with T2DM receiving care at primary healthcare centers in Indonesia. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 199 patients with T2DM attending eight primary healthcare centers (Puskesmas) in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. Participants were recruited using consecutive sampling. Medication adherence was assessed using the 12-item Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS), and adherence categories were determined using the median ARMS score. Correlation analyses were performed using Pearson's or Spearman's correlation tests according to variable characteristics. Of the 199 participants, 109 (54.8%) demonstrated higher medication adherence, while 90 (45.2%) were classified as having lower adherence. Analysis of individual ARMS items indicated that forgetting to take medications, delayed medication refills, and running out of medications before scheduled refills were the most common non-adherent behaviors. Correlation analysis showed that duration of diabetes was the only patient characteristic significantly correlated with medication adherence (r = −0.156, p = 0.028), indicating that a longer duration of diabetes was associated with better adherence. No significant correlations were observed for age, sex, educational level, occupation, or treatment regimen (p > 0.05). In conclusion, although most patients demonstrated higher medication adherence, nearly half remained poorly adherent. Duration of diabetes showed a weak but significant correlation with medication adherence