Traditional Medicine and Its Impact on Patient Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Therapy

Abstract

The number of antidiabetic medicine used and the use of traditional medicine as a complementary medicine are increasing along with the growing number of people with diabetes mellitus (DM). The choice of treatment depends on patients' perception and will have an effect on compliance and clinical outcome. This study aimed to determine the relationship between patients' perception of consuming a combination of Traditional Medicine (TM) and Synthetic Medicine (SM) and their compliance with medication, as well as to examine its impact on the outcomes of type 2 DM treatment at three community health centers in Yogyakarta. This study is a cross-sectional study. Participants that met the inclusion criteria were 110 patients with type 2 DM who had been taking TM-SM combination at least one month at three community health centers in the City of Yogyakarta. The main outcome is the relationship between perception and compliance, as well as the outcome of therapy. The results showed that from 110 patients, only 40 (36.4%) had a good perception of the use of TM-SM combination, and 32 patients (29.1%) adhered to the recommended administration of synthetic drugs. A total of 49 patients (44.5%) reported controlled blood sugar levels as the outcome of DM management. Patients' perception of drug combination was proven unrelated to patient compliance and treatment outcome (p> 0.05). In conclusion, there is no relationship between patients' perception and adherence as well as treatment outcomes. Moreover, the duration of TM use showed a significant relationship with the treatment outcome and the patients' perception of TM-SM combination.