AUTHOR=Mendorf Sarah , Witte Otto W. , Grosskreutz Julian , Zipprich Hannah M. , Prell Tino 

TITLE=What Predicts Different Kinds of Nonadherent Behavior in Elderly People With Parkinson's Disease?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2020.00103

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2020.00103

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=Background
Detailed knowledge about nonadherence to medication could improve medical care in elderly patients. We aimed to explore patterns and reasons for nonadherence in people with Parkinson´s disease (PD) aged 60 years and older. 
Methods
Detailed clinical data and adherence (German Stendal Adherence with Medication Score) were assessed in 230 PD patients (without dementia). Descriptive statistics were used to study reasons for nonadherence in detail, and general linear models were used to study associations between clusters of nonadherence and clinical parameters. 
Results
Overall, 13.9% (n = 32) of patients were fully adherent, 65.7% (n = 151) were moderately nonadherent, and 18.7% (n = 43) showed clinically meaningful nonadherence. In the multivariable analysis, nonadherence was associated with a lower education level, higher motor impairment in activities of daily living, higher number of medications per day, and motor complications of PD. Three clusters of nonadherence were observed: 59 (30.4%) patients reported intentional nonadherence by medication modification; in 72 (37.1%) patients, nonadherence was associated with forgetting to take medication; and 63 (32.5%) patients had poor knowledge about the prescribed medication. 
A lower education level was mainly associated with modification of medication and poorer knowledge about prescribed medication, but not with forgetting to take medication. Patients with motor complications, which frequently occur in those with advanced disease stages, tend to be intentionally nonadherent by modifying their prescribed medication. Increased motor problems and a higher total number of drugs per day were associated with less knowledge about the names, reasons, and dosages of their prescribed medication.
Conclusions 
Elderly PD patients report many reasons for intentional and non-intentional nonadherence. Understanding the impact of clinical parameters on different patterns of nonadherence may facilitate tailoring of interventions and counseling to improve outcomes.