The Role of Health Education, Patient Learning and Educational Intervention in Improving Medication Adherence: Educational Deficits and Learning Needs Contributing to Non-Adherence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57125/FED.2026.03.06Keywords:
health, education, patient, learning, medication adherence.Abstract
Pedagogical solutions are crucial for addressing health problems that require significant behavioural changes, self-management of chronic conditions, and general health literacy. Key health problems that are addressed through pedagogical solutions include chronic conditions. To evaluate the role of health education, patient learning, and educational intervention in improving medication adherence in patients on chronic treatment attending a primary healthcare setting in South Africa. A cross-sectional study was used to evaluate educational deficits, learning needs and educational preferences in 80 patients. Results were analysed using SPSS to obtain descriptive statistics, and Pearson chi-square tests were used to assess associations between demographics, chronic conditions, patient-drug-related factors, and non-adherence to chronic treatment. The demographics of the patients obtained revealed more females (56.30%) than males (43.80%). Their ages ranged from 41 to 50 years; most were single, had a secondary level of education, were unemployed, and lived in rural areas. HIV/AIDS was the leading chronic condition. Research highlights the novelty in understanding how educational deficits and learning needs contribute to non-adherence. The study has shown novelty in quantifying that experiencing side effects (p = 0.002) and inadequate knowledge (p < .001) significantly increase non-adherence. Inadequate patient education regarding chronic disease management represents a critical gap in health education systems. The pedagogical challenge lies in designing effective educational interventions that translate medical knowledge into sustainable health behaviours.
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