Effects of Home Visits on Medication Adherence of Elderly Individuals with Diabetes and Hypertension

INTRODUCTION: This research was a pre-final measured quasi-experimental study evaluating the effects of home visits aimed at increasing the medication adherence of elderly individuals with diabetes and hypertension.
METHODS: The research was carried out in the private homes of elderly individuals, who were then followed up by staff of the Geriatrics Polyclinic. The study subjects were elderly individuals with diabetes and hypertension who met the research criteria (n = 45). The data were collected with the data collection form prepared in accordance with the literature, a form to determine drug use status in the elderly, and the Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form.Two home visits were conducted for each patient. During these home visits, the individuals were educated regarding their medications, and their medication adherence levels were evaluated both before and after the education.
RESULTS: The study results demonstrated that the medication adherence levels of the subjects increased after the first home visit. The subjects also became more aware of the important points regarding the medicines they were using, as demonstrated by a statistically significant difference in the average HbA1c values after the home visits (p<0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the provision of patient education via home visits is quite effective in creating awareness about medications and increasing the adherence level of elderly individuals’ medication adherence. The results suggest that home visits should be planned for patients in a given period, and that nurses should take an active role in these home visits.