Prevalence and predictors of medication nonadherence among hypertensive patients

Introduction: Hypertension is a chronic disease that needs to be treated adequately. Nonadherence to antihypertensive medicines can lead to coronary heart disease and stroke complications. The present study assessed the prevalence and predictors of medication nonadherence among hypertensive patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among hypertensive patients visiting the outdoor patient department of a tertiary care hospital in North India. Trained investigators interviewed the study participants after obtaining their written informed consent. A validated tool, namely the Brief Medication Questionnaire, was used to assess the medication nonadherence. Statistical analyses were performed using the Epi Info version for Windows. Results: A total of 400 hypertensive patients participated in the study. The mean age of study participants was 62.8 years (standard deviation = 11.0). Around half (55.0%) of the hypertensive patients suffered from comorbid disease conditions. The prevalence of antihypertensive medication nonadherence was 23.8%. The logistic regression model revealed that patients having a shorter duration of hypertension (odds ratio = 2.2 [1.2-3.9]) and those living in a joint family (odds ratio = 1.7 [1.1-2.8]) had higher medication nonadherence, as compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: Nearly one-fifth of the study participants were nonadherent to their antihypertension medication. There is a need for designing and implementing effective strategies by health-care providers for increasing antihypertensive medication adherence.