Effects of patient health beliefs and satisfaction on compliance with medication regimens in ambulatory care at general hospitals.

Patient non-compliance with therapeutic regimens in ambulatory care settings is prevalent. This study was conducted to clarify the effects of patient health beliefs and satisfaction on compliance behavior. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis for the data of 650 outpatients in 7 general hospitals indicated that self-efficacy regarding compliance behavior, perceived threat to health, patient satisfaction with care, severity of illness scored by the physician, sex and age had significant effects on medication compliance. It is suggested that patient compliance is influenced not only by rationalistic decision making in relevance to health and behavior but also by patient satisfaction with health care, particularly with communication with providers.