Preliminary Application of the GMAS Questionnaire in Assessing Medication Adherence among Patients with Spondyloarthritis
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Abstract
Spondyloarthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease requiring long term treatment, in which adherence plays a key role in effective disease control. The GMAS (General Medication Adherence Scale) allows assessment of treatment adherence and identification of related factors. This study was conducted on 45 patients diagnosed with Spondyloarthritis according to the ASAS 2009 or ASAS 2011 criteria, treated at the Centre for Rheumatology, Bach Mai Hospital, from November to December 2025. The adherence rate based on GMAS was 57.78%, with a mean GMAS score of 29.2 ± 2.82. Among the 11 GMAS items, the criteria related to self adjusting medication dosage and frequency of daily drug intake had the lowest scores. Patients with higher disease activity showed a significantly higher rate of non adherence (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that treatment adherence among patients with Spondyloarthritis remains suboptimal and is associated with disease activity.
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Keywords
Medication adherence, Spondyloarthritis, GMAS
References
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