Assessment of Type 2 Diabetes Patients’ Knowledge of Oral Hypoglycemic Agents

Objective: Considering that adherence level affects diabetes treatment success and maintenance of glycemic control greatly, the aim of this study was to examine diabetes patients’ adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) and knowledge about their mechanism of action, dosing regimen, and side effects. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 100 patients with type 2 diabetes in order to assess their knowledge of OHAs using anonymous questionnaires. Results: Most patients had used OHAs between 2 and 5 years (61.0%), where 78.0% were treated with metformin, and the remaining 22.0% were prescribed sulfonylurea derivatives. Besides drugs used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, 58.0% of patients took another 1-3 drugs daily for the treatment of other conditions. Although 75.0% achieved a score of 5-6 out of the maximum score of 8, only 2.0% of respondents listed at least 2 side effects of the OHA they used, and none of them could explain its mechanism of action. Most of the information about OHAs was given to patients by endocrinologists (53.0%). Conclusion: More than half of participants considered their knowledge of OHAs insufficient. Results clearly indicate that the respondents were not sufficiently familiar with the mechanism of action and possible side effects of such medications. Information about OHAs given in written form as well as via community pharmacists would contribute to educating type 2 diabetes patients significantly.