Association between Patient Experience and Medication Compliance of Dyslipidemia: Using Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015)

Background This study aimed to examine the relationship between patient experience and medication compliance of patients with dyslipidemia. Methods Based on data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2015, the study examined 764 patients treated with dyslipidemia medication. Subjects who responded to the question "Do you currently take medication to lower your blood cholesterol?" with "daily taking" were categorized as the compliant group, and the remaining subjects were classified under the non-compliant group. The patient experience survey included four indicators, in which subjects were divided into groups with a positive and negative patient experience. Data on sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviors, and self-reported comorbid conditions were also collected. Results After adjusting the variables, the group with a positive response for the patient experience indicator "doctor spends enough time with the patient during consultation" was 1.89 times more compliant than the group with a negative response (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-3.48; P=0.04). For the indicator "doctor provides easy-to-understand explanations," the group that showed a positive response was 2.74 times more compliant than the group with a negative response (95% CI, 1.39-5.39; P=0.004). For the indicator "doctor involves patients in decisions about care or treatment," the group that showed a positive response was 2.07 times more compliant than the group with a negative response (95% CI, 1.02-4.22; P=0.04). However, for the indicator "doctor provides the patient a chance to ask questions about treatment," positive patient experience had no significant association with medication compliance (95% CI, 0.77-2.36; P=0.30). Conclusion Building a good doctor-patient relationship with positive patient experiences can result in better outcomes for patient care through high medication compliance.