Effect of Nurse Led Brief Psycho-Education in Improving Self-Reported Medication Adherence Among Clients with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital North India: Quasi-experimental Study

Abstract

Introduction: Although fewer people in India consume alcohol, a larger proportion is affected by harmful use or dependence on alcohol. Medication compliance found to be the most important predictor in the outcomes of alcohol de-addiction treatment. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of nurse-led brief psychoeducation in improving the self-reported medication adherence among treatment-seeking clients attending a de-deaddiction center of North India. Materials and Methods: This study is a quasi-experimental study in which a total of 70 subjects were consecutively recruited as per the sampling criteria. A trained nurse delivered a 30-min individual-based brief psychoeducation for those in the intervention group as per the standard module. The subjects in the control group received the usual hospital care. The outcome measures were changes in adherence to medication measured as per the Medication Adherence Rating Scale during a 1-week follow-up. Results: The mean age of the subject was 37.53 (standard deviation – 9.57). Disbelief toward treatment (84.28%), persisting comorbid illness (47.14%), and forgetfulness (35.7%) were the most common self-reported factors for medication nonadherence in this setting. The study observed a statistically significant improvement in the self-reported medication adherence in the intervention group as compared to the control group during the 1-week follow-up period (independent sample t-test; t = 7.14; P < 0.01). Conclusion: The present study identified that nurse-led brief psychoeducation might be an effective strategy in improving medication adherence among clients with alcohol dependence syndrome in this setting. However, further studies with the rigorous scientific approach are needed to generalize the findings.