OBJECTIVES:

Poor medication adherence is considered a significant healthcare issue leading to suboptimal health outcomes and increased healthcare costs, especially in developing countries. This systematic review systemized existing evidence in assessing medication adherence in the Egyptian population.

METHODS:

Original research articles reporting quantitative results in medication adherence among the Egyptian population were systematically searched from six databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Virtual Health Library, New York Academy of Medicine, and System for information on Grey Literature in Europe from inception till November 2022. Two authors screened the title and abstract independently followed by a full-text review, and studies were included upon consensus. No restrictions regarding study design, language, publication date, medication therapeutical class, disease, or medication adherence measures were placed.

RESULTS:

Our literature search yielded a total of 1990 records, reduced to 1,732 records after removing duplicates using EndNote software. After title/abstract screening, there were 71 articles eligible for full-text review, and 34 articles were finally included in the systematic review. Seven studies focused on diabetic patients’ medication adherence, and five of them reported an adherence rate of lower than 50%. Four studies including psychiatric patients (bipolar and schizophrenia) estimated medication adherence rate was lower than half. Two studies reported patients with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with a rate of more than 50%. Two studies reported that more than half of patients with asthma were non-adherent. Hypertensive patients included in two studies showed less than a 50% medication adherence rate. Three clinical trials studied interventions to improve medication adherence, including SMS messages, telephone-based follow-up, and clinical pharmacist-led medication management. Only the clinical pharmacist intervention trial showed a significant increase in medication adherence.

CONCLUSIONS:

People in Egypt may have low medication adherence, which calls for effective interventions in clinical practice to improve medication adherence among this population.