Medication Adherence among Schizophrenic Outpatients in Aceh Besar

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects cognitive, affective, and human behavior, which makes individuals unable to carry out productive activities such as studying and working. People with schizophrenia must undergo treatment for a long time, even after being treated at home. People with schizophrenia can experience relapse after being discharged from a mental hospital, with a high recurrence rate. Relapse in schizophrenic patients is influenced by medication adherence. This study aims to describe medication adherence among schizophrenic outpatients in Aceh Besar. This descriptive study uses a purposive sampling technique to select the sample. The number of samples was 79 schizophrenic outpatients in Aceh Besar. Data was collected using a demographic data questionnaire, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS). The result of this study shows that the majority of respondents are at a high level of medication adherence, which is equal to 88.6%. It is hoped that nurses can always provide education related to treatment to schizophrenic patients so they can maintain their health and prevent a recurrence.