Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess adherence to sulfonylurea monotherapy within a Native American population with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patient medication adherence was evaluated using medical records to perform a 12-month, cross-sectional evaluation of medication refills. Adherence was defined using a continuous, multiple-interval measure of medication availability (CMA). Patients had an average of 80.5 ± 25.4 days of medication during 100 days of treatment, equivalent to a defined adherence scale of fair to poor in 58%. Because CMA may be less expensive and time- consuming than other measures of medication adherence, CMA can be used to assess medication adherence in patients at risk for developing diabetes complications, such as Native Americans.