• Manuel Pombo-Suarez, Jose Ramon Maneiro Fernandez, and Juan Jesus Gomez-Reino.
• Rheumatology Service, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
• Patient Prefer Adher. 2021 Jan 1; 15: 111-117.

ObjectiveTo evaluate adherence to treatment in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Spain and to identify potential predictors of adherence.MethodsAn observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study in outpatient clinics of Rheumatology Departments from 41 centers was conducted. A validated Spanish version of the compliance questionnaire in Rheumatology was used to measure adherence in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, representative of the Spanish population. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to detect predictors of adherence.ResultsA total of 859 patients were recruited. An adherence rate of 79% was established. No differences were detected in adherence in patients receiving biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs compared to conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, in patients receiving intravenous therapies compared to other routes of administration and in patients treated in specific day hospitals compared to polyvalent day hospitals. The number of drugs and cohabitation were independent predictors of adherence.ConclusionAn inexpensive and useful method was used to measure adherence in Spanish population. The adherence rate in rheumatoid arthritis is still suboptimal. Simpler, more convenient dosing regimens may improve compliance. Increased knowledge of compliance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and the identification of possible predictors of adherence will allow to develop effective intervention strategies.© 2021 Pombo-Suarez et al.

5 keywords...

hide…