Artificial Intelligence Driven Support and Self Care Competence as Determinants of Medication Adherence in Diabetes Care, A Cross-sectional Nigerian Study

Medication adherence among patients with diabetes remains suboptimal in low and middle income countries, including Nigeria. Emerging digital health interventions such as AI powered virtual support may be associated with improved adherence behaviours. This study examined self care competence and perceived AI powered virtual support as predictors of medication adherence among patients with diabetes. A cross sectional survey was conducted among 450 patients recruited through multistage sampling across hospitals in Benue State, Nigeria. Standardised measures of self care competence scale, perceived AI support scale, and medication adherence scale were analysed using correlation and regression analyses. Results showed that, self-care competence significantly predicted medication adherence, although some components (glucose management, physical activity, healthcare use) showed negative associations. Perceived AI-powered support demonstrated stronger predictive power, with social presence and social interactivity emerging as key predictors. The combined model explained 36.3% of variance. In conclusion, perceived AI powered virtual support, particularly socially interactive features, plays a significant role in enhancing medication adherence and may complement traditional self care strategies. It is recommended that clinicians should therefore adopt a hybrid care model that integrates traditional patient education with AI-assisted interventions. This approach can help bridge gaps caused by high patient loads and limited consultation time, while also enhancing personalised care.