MEDICATION ADHERENCE AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG EPILEPSY PATIENTS: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Among the cause of the treatment failure in epilepsy, low adherence to prescribed medication is the principal cause of unsuccessful drug treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the level of adherence and the relations with quality of life among epilepsy patients in Denpasar. Method: Our research based on cross sectional design and conducted in neurology department of tertiary referral hospital in Denpasar. We used Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) to measure level of adherence and World Health Organization (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire to assess quality of life (QOL) score. Results: On this research, we found 83 epilepsy patients who fulfilled eligibility criteria, there are 43 patients categorized as non-adherent and 39 patients belong to adherent. Based on the cross tabulation between characteristic of participants and adherence, we found that age and duration of therapy influence the adherence level of epilepsy patient (p value < 0.05). Epilepsy patients who adherent to the treatment have higher score of QOL than epilepsy patients who not adherent, especially on physical domain of QOL, the difference was statistically significant (p value < 0.05). Conclusion: Improving adherence is so important to improve the quality of life of epilepsy patients.