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. 2016 Dec 7:10:2437-2447.
doi: 10.2147/PPA.S117269. eCollection 2016.

Relationship between patients' knowledge and medication adherence among patients with hypertension

Beata Jankowska-Polańska  1 , Izabella Uchmanowicz  1 , Krzysztof Dudek  2 , Grzegorz Mazur  3
Affiliations

Relationship between patients' knowledge and medication adherence among patients with hypertension

Beata Jankowska-Polańska et al. Patient Prefer Adherence. .

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between knowledge on arterial hypertension (AH) and its management, and adherence to pharmaceutical treatment.

Methods: The study included 233 patients diagnosed with AH and treated with hypotensive drugs for at least 1 year. The 8-item © Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) and the Hypertension Knowledge-Level Scale (HK-LS) were used.

Results: Sixty-three percent of the patients had a low level of knowledge on AH, with the smallest proportion of correct answers provided for items related to non-pharmaceutical treatment, diet, hypertension definition, and drug adherence. When compared to patients with a high level of knowledge, those with a low knowledge had lower scores in the MMAS (6.45±1.45 vs 7.08±1.04; P=0.038). Multiple-factor analysis showed that statistically significant independent determinants of good adherence included a high level of knowledge (β=0.208; P=0.001), non-pharmaceutical treatment (β=0.182; P=0.006), and frequent blood pressure measurements (β=0.183; P=0.004). The most significant factor in MMAS was knowledge in the "drug adherence" domain (ρ=0.303; P<0.001).

Conclusion: Patients' knowledge on hypertension is a significant independent determinant of good adherence. Other independent determinants include non-pharmaceutical treatment and regular blood pressure measurements.

Implication for practice: The identification of knowledge deficits as a factor contributing to lack of adherence and poor hypertension control remains a key challenge for multidisciplinary team caring for patients with hypertension.

Keywords: arterial hypertension; medical knowledge; medication adherence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Histogram of hypertension knowledge scores obtained by 233 patients. Abbreviations: HK-LS, Hypertension Knowledge-Level Scale; K-S, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of correct answer proportions for each HK-LS item in the two groups differentiated by their level of knowledge on hypertension (items with <50% correct answers are marked in red). Abbreviation: HK-LS, Hypertension Knowledge-Level Scale.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of correct answer percentages in the 6 HK-LS domains between the two groups differentiated by their level of knowledge on hypertension. Abbreviation: HK-LS, Hypertension Knowledge-Level Scale.
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