Medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Iran; focusing on the effect of medication out-of-pocket costs on medication adherence

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often require long term treatment with multiple medications. Medication adherence is essential to encourage the best health results in RA. This thesis assessed medication adherence to oral RA medications in patients with RA in Iran and examined determinants of adherence with a specific focus on the effect of medication out-of-pocket costs. The study was conducted in Iran and had two components; a cross-sectional survey of 308 patients and semi-structured interviews with 10 rheumatologists. Iranian patients with RA were non-adherent to their oral RA medications and experienced cost-related medication non-adherence.