Examination of health literacy, medication compliance and beliefs of individuals with chronic diseases

This study was a descriptive/cross-sectional study conducted with 250 patients with chronic diseases who were hospitalised or admitted to the internal clinics of Çankırı State Hospital in order to examine the health literacy, medication compliance and beliefs of individuals with chronic diseases. Interviews were conducted with face-to-face interviews between November 2022 and February 2023 with an information form including socio-demographic characteristics, Health Literacy Scale (HLS), Medication Adherence Reporting Scale (DRRS) and Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BBSQ) questions. Percentage, frequency, Mann Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis H test were used in the evaluation. The relationships between variables were evaluated with Pearson and Speraman correlation tests. In the study, a significant and negative association was found between access to information, understanding, appraising/evaluation, application which are the sub-dimensions of the IDAS and the HLS score and the total scores of the health literacy scale. It was determined that there was a significant and positive relationship between the HLS scale score and General overuse and General harm sub-dimension scores while a significant and negative link was seen between the Specific necessity and the Specific anxiety sub-dimension score. No significant association was found between IDAS and General overuse and Harm sub-dimension scores. A significant and positive correlation was discovered between IDAS and the Specific necessity and concern sub-dimension scores. This study has revealed that as HLS increases, medications are necessary, but medication adherence decreases. By taking into account many factors affecting HLS by nurses and healthcare professionals and prioritizing these factors in patient education, individuals' beliefs and adherences to medications could be improved.