Adherencia al tratamiento con psicofármacos en adultos con esquizofrenia en el Instituto de Neurociencias de Guayaquil en Ecuador: estudio de validación psicométrica y prevalencia, enero 2023 - abril 2024.

Abstract

Introduction: Adherence to psychopharmacological treatment in people with schizophrenia is the cornerstone for optimizing well-being and reducing the risk of relapse, highlighting the importance of assessing this behavior in clinical settings. Objective: The objective was to determine the prevalence of adherence to psychopharmacological treatment among adult patients with schizophrenia who received care at the Guayaquil Institute of Neurosciences during the 2023–2024 period. Methodology: This was a quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study involving a sample of 310 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, selected through non-probability sampling. To quantify treatment adherence, a questionnaire called the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) was used. Results: The results indicated that 57.5% of the participants showed low adherence to treatment. Furthermore, it was observed that adherence is lower among women and patients under 40 years of age. Although the MMAS-8 scale proved to be valid and reliable in this context, no statistically significant relationship was identified between the number of psychotropic medications prescribed to patients and their level of adherence. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that treatment adherence in this population is low, particularly among women and young people. This highlights the need to develop specific strategies to promote greater adherence and, consequently, improve therapeutic outcomes. Keywords: treatment adherence, Morisky scale, schizophrenia, psychotropic medications, MMAS-8