Abstract:
The main objective of this study was to increase the adherence of patients to
anti-vivax malarial medications in the Mae Hong Son Province in northern Thailand.
The study conducted a retrospective base-line data collection in phase I and continued
to a quasi-experimental design for Information, Education, and Communication (IEC)
implementation in phase II. For this study nine malaria clinics in the Muang District
and three clinics in the Mae Sa Riang District were selected. 206 patient histories
concerning drug-taking behaviors were examined. In phase II, the IEC implementation
was launched in the Muang malaria clinics as the intervention site and clinics in
Mae Sa Riang as the control site. The implementation phase was comprised of
programs which aimed to enhance the capability of malaria officers concerning
problem solving and increasing self-esteem and self-efficacy. The malaria officers
designed and developed friendly, tailored IEC materials and an instruction package for
vivax malaria patients who visited and received treatment at the study clinics. In
contrast, the control areas received on unchanged routine treatment for anti-vivax
medictions as usual.
The results from phase I revealed that 49 out of 206 patients (23.8%)
completely adhered to the medications and 157 out of 206 patients (76.2%) did not
adhere to the medication prescription. Most of those in the non-adherent group stated
that they were confused about the prescription from the clinics. Some neglected taking
primaquine for 14 days, and some were troubled with side-effect of chloroquine. The
determinants that were associated with the patient’s adherence were the knowledge
concerning malaria (adjusted OR=2.22, 95%CI=1.10-4.45), and the ability to access
information related to antimalarial medication (aOR=5.58, 95%CI=2.06-15.14).
The results from phase II revealed that 100 out of 142 patients (71.1%) in the
intervention group adhered to their prescriptions. However, only 35 out of 117
(29.9%) of the patients in the control group adhered to the treatment. The mean scores
for the intervention group regarding knowledge, perception of malaria treatment, selfefficacy
to perform drug adherence, access to information on antimalarial medication,
and satisfaction with health services from malaria clinics were significantly higher
after implementation than before implementation (p-value <0.05). The mean scores
were also significantly higher among the intervention group than that of the control
group (p-value<0.05).
The overall results of this study may be beneficial for malaria officers as it
could help them be cognizant of socio-cultural factors in developing an innovative
intervention program for vivax malaria patients concerning adherence to treatment
prescriptions.