Correlation Between Patients’ Medication Adherence and Their Psychological Contract with Hospital Pharmacists

Figures & data

Table 1 Scale for Patients’ Psychological Contract with Pharmacists

Dimensions	In the Following Description, What Do You Think of the Performance of Pharmacists in Fulfilling Their Responsibilities?
The responsibility of competence	1. The pharmacist checks and reviews the prescription carefully.
	2. The pharmacist dispenses the medicine accurately.
	3. The pharmacist provides accurate medication instructions (usage, dosage, contraindications, etc.).
The responsibility of service	4. The pharmacist are reasonable, gentle, and smiling when providing services.
	5. The pharmacist answers my questions patiently.
The responsibility of humanistic care	6. The pharmacist treats patients equally and protects patients’ privacy (seldom asks private questions).
	7. The pharmacist respects the patients’ right to know and choice in drug treatment.

Note: 5-point Likert scale.

Table 2 Scale for Medication Adherence

Dimensions	In the Following Description, Please Select the Answer that Matches Your Situation.
The behavior of stopping taking medicine	1. Stop taking the medicine on your own, because the side effects of the medicine or the symptoms of the disease are exacerbated.
	2. Stop taking the medicine on your own, because you think the medication is not effective or the treatment is not good for you.
	3. Stop taking the medicine on your own, because the symptoms have improved.
The obstacle of medication adherence	4. Have you ever forgotten to take medicine?
	5. Adjust the dosage of the medicine without discussing with your doctor or pharmacist.
	6. When you go out, do you forget to take your medicine with you?

Note: 5-point Likert scale.

Table 3 Participant Demographics (N=277)

Variables	Demographic Characteristics	n (%)
Gender	Male	112 (40.43)
	Female	165 (59.57)
Age	≤30	36 (13.00)
	30–40	115 (41.52)
	40–50	104 (37.55)
	≥50	22 (7.94)
Education level	High school and below	139 (50.18)
	Undergraduate or junior college	126 (45.49)
	Master degree and above	12 (4.33)

Table 4 Frequency Distribution for Psychological Contract Scale

Items	1	2	3	4	5
1. The pharmacist checks and reviews the prescription carefully.	6 (2.2)	16 (5.8)	58 (20.9)	126 (45.5)	71 (25.6)
2. The pharmacist dispenses the medicine accurately.	3 (1.1)	24 (8.7)	63 (22.7)	116 (41.9)	71 (25.6)
3. The pharmacist provides accurate medication instructions (usage, dosage, contraindications, etc.).	3 (1.1)	28 (10.1)	55 (19.9)	117 (42.2)	74 (26.7)
4. The pharmacist are reasonable, gentle, and smiling when providing services.	0 (0.0)	19 (6.9)	75 (27.1)	103 (37.2)	80 (28.9)
5. The pharmacist answers my questions patiently.	5 (1.8)	24 (8.7)	77 (27.8)	122 (44.0)	49 (17.7)
6. The pharmacist treats patients equally and protects patients’ privacy (seldom asks private questions).	5 (1.8)	30 (10.8)	64 (23.1)	111 (40.1)	67 (24.2)
7. The pharmacist respects the patients’ right to know and choose in drug treatment.	4 (1.4)	26 (9.4)	63 (22.7)	109 (39.4)	75 (27.1)

Table 5 Frequency Distribution for Medication Adherence Scale

Items	1	2	3	4	5
1. Stop taking the medicine on your own, because the side effects of the medicine or the symptoms of the disease are exacerbated.	33 (11.9)	65 (23.5)	93 (33.6)	53 (19.1)	33 (11.9)
2. Stop taking the medicine on your own, because you think the medication is not effective or the treatment is not good for you.	39 (14.1)	66 (23.8)	97 (35.0)	53 (19.1)	22 (7.9)
3. Stop taking the medicine on your own, because the symptoms have improved.	19 (6.9)	50 (18.1)	105 (37.9)	71 (25.6)	32 (11.6)
4. Have you ever forgotten to take medicine?	22 (7.9)	74 (26.7)	106 (38.3)	59 (21.3)	16 (5.8)
5. Adjust the dosage of the medicine without discussing with your doctor or pharmacist.	49 (17.7)	58 (20.9)	90 (32.5)	45 (16.2)	35 (12.6)
6. When you go out, do you forget to take your medicine with you?	44 (15.9)	60 (21.7)	99 (35.7)	39 (14.1)	35 (12.6)

Table 6 Scores for Dimensions of the Scale

Scales	Dimensions	Mean ± SD
Psychological contract	The responsibility of competence	3.84±0.68
	The responsibility of service	3.78±0.71
	The responsibility of humanistic care	3.78±0.83
Medication adherence	The behavior of stopping taking medicine	2.99±0.81
	The obstacle of medication adherence	2.87±0.83

Table 7 Results of Correlation Analysis

	The Behavior of Stopping Taking Medicine	The Obstacle of Medication Adherence	Medication Adherence
The responsibility of competence	0.398**	0.402**	0.468**
The responsibility of service	0.358**	0.412**	0.451**
The responsibility of humanistic care	0.346**	0.303**	0.379**

Note: **P<0.01.

Table 8 Results of Multi-Factor Linear Regression Analysis Influencing Medication Adherence

Independent Variable	Unstandardized Coefficient		Standardized Coefficient	t	P	95% Confidence Interval for B
	B	Standard Error	Beta			Lower Limit	Upper Limit
Constant	0.478	0.310		1.543	0.124	−0.132	1.088
Gender	0.000	0.073	0.000	−0.005	0.996	−0.144	0.144
Age	−0.062	0.045	−0.071	−1.371	0.172	−0.150	0.027
Education level	0.037	0.063	0.031	0.595	0.552	−0.086	0.161
The responsibility of competence	0.290	0.065	0.279	4.447	0.000	0.162	0.418
The responsibility of service	0.274	0.058	0.278	4.754	0.000	0.160	0.387
The responsibility of humanistic care	0.104	0.052	0.123	1.047	0.047	0.001	0.208