نبذة مختصرة : Dissertação de Mestrado em Geriatria apresentada à Faculdade de Medicina ; Introduction: Medication adherence is a centerpiece of chronic disease management, impacting not only patient health but also the effort required of health systems, caretakers, families and the community as a whole. In an aging world of multimorbidity and growing polypharmacy, medication adherence is especially relevant. Previous studies on medication adherence in the elderly are, apart from few in number, varied in results. Moreover, no studies comparing adherence to medications prescribed for different diseases, in the same population, were found.Objectives: The aim of this article was to characterize adherence to chronic medication in a population of elderly adults with multimorbidity, specifically with the following diagnoses: hypertension (HTA), diabetes mellitus (DM) and dyslipidemia (DL). It also aimed to investigate the motives for adequate or nonadherence to the chronic medication.Methods: Quali-quantitative study. A questionnaire including the Medida de Adesão aos Tratamentos (MAT), adapted from Delgado e Lima (2001), was conducted on a sample of elderly adults in a Family Health Unit (USF), part of the Baixo Vouga Health Center Group (ACeS) Motives for adherence and nonadherence were inquired in open ended questions.Results: A total of 64 valid responses were obtained, with a majority the responders being men and the average age being 74,6 years. Global adherence profiles were excellent for all three diseases, averaging 4,88 out of 5 for the combined MAT items. The most frequently reported factors affecting adherence were related to the patient, the prescriber, and the disease – save for hypertension, in the latter’s case. A statistically significant correlation between filling the questionnaire in the context of an in-person appointment and higher MAT average scores was found.Discussion and conclusion: The results are in line with what has been described in former studies. Study limitations mainly pertained to sample size, ...
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