Frequency and predictors of compliance among patients taking antihypertensive medicines

Abstract

Introduction Medication compliance, an important aspect in the treatment of chronic disease research, is often assessed using pill count method. The patient perception is usually not addressed objectively. The present study was conducted to assess patient cognizance, prevalence and predictors of compliance towards antihypertensive therapy in Indian patients. Methods Adult patients taking antihypertensive medicines were included from the cardiology and geriatric OPDs of a tertiary care hospital in India. Socio-demographic data and disease awareness information was collected. Hill-Bone high blood pressure compliance scale was administered for compliance score. Results For the 452 participants, mean age was 54.6 ± 13.7 years with approximate 2:1 ratio of males to females. Cronbach's alpha value of 0.7 for Hill Bone compliance scale showed good internal consistency. More than 80% participants had a score of ≥80%, showing good compliance among Indian patients. Factors that were significantly associated with uncontrolled blood pressure with correlation analysis were age, gender and awareness regarding disease. Conclusion The study suggests that Hill-Bone high blood pressure compliance scale may be useful for assessing compliance in Indian population. An age appropriate intervention for continued compliance should be considered to improve compliance and hence, reduce long term sequelae of hypertension.

Evaluation of Medication Adherence and Associated Factors in Hypertensive Patients in Bangalore, India; A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Similarly, Biffi et al found no evidence of a significant influence of sex on medication adherence in hypertensive patients; nevertheless, research conducted among Indian hypertensive patients discovered considerable impacts. 6,21 A study conducted among Korean patients discovered that sex, marital status, smoking, and education did not affect medication adherence, which was consistent with the findings of our study. 22 In contrast, age has a substantial effect on medication adherence among Korean patients, which contradicts the results of this study.…”

“…16 Furthermore, a survey done in a tertiary care hospital in India by E. Mutneja et al discovered that 80.8 % of patients adhere to their antihypertensive therapy, similar to this study's findings. 6 Compared to Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip, the patients in this research have a higher rate of medication adherence and salt control but a lower rate of appointment keeping. 17 The plausible reason is due to higher poverty and inadequate healthcare facilities among the Palestinian people.…”

“…Patients who comply at a rate of 80% or more are called compliant, whereas those who comply at less than 80% are labelled non-compliant. 6,12 The formula calculates the percentage of compliance…”

“…4 The situation in India isn't different, with about a quarter of the patient having poor medication adherence. 5,6 Various factors have been associated with poor blood pressure controlone of the most crucial factors is non-adherence to medication. According to WHO, medication adherence is defined as "the extent to which a person's behaviour in taking medication, lifestyle management, diet, corresponding with agreed recommendations from a health care provider. "…”

The Effect of Social Support on Treatment Adherence in Hypertension in China

“…A total score of ≥80% was considered as adherence and <80% was considered as nonadherence. [27][28][29][30] Percent adherence was calculated using the formula %adherence = (Hill-bone score-14) ×100/42. 29 Fourteen is the minimum score, and 42 is the range of scores (56-14).…”