Self-Efficacy of Medication Adherence in Hypertensive Patients in Bandung Regency, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Medication adherence is essential to controlling hypertensive patients' blood pressure. However, the high rate of noncompliance among hypertension sufferers with taking medication is due to a lack of self-efficacy regarding the importance of hypertension medication. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the correlation between self-efficacy and adherence to drug regimens in hypertensive patients. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design. A total of 96 hypertensive patients were involved in the study using purposive sampling. Patients who participated in this study had high blood pressure and routinely checked their health at Bandung Regency Hospital, Indonesia. Self-efficacy in managing hypertension was evaluated using the MASES scale, and medication compliance was evaluated using the MMAS-8. The Spearman-rank test was used in correlation analysis. Results: Almost half of the patients (39.59%) with low medication self-efficacy have low adherence to hypertension regimens. There was a substantial correlation between self-efficacy and medication compliance (rho =0.493, p<0.01). Conclusions: Therefore, this study suggested that strengthening self-efficacy in their hypertension regimens might help to improve medication adherence and drive it. Furthermore, healthcare professionals must understand the importance of self-efficacy in medication adherence for hypertensive patients.