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. 2020 Jun;43(3):402-410.
doi: 10.1007/s10865-020-00139-0. Epub 2020 Jan 29.

Partner presence in the emergency department and adherence to daily cardiovascular medications in patients evaluated for acute coronary syndrome

Talea Cornelius  1 , Jeffrey L Birk  2 , Kyle Bourassa  3   4 , Redeana C Umland  2 , Ian M Kronish  2
Affiliations

Partner presence in the emergency department and adherence to daily cardiovascular medications in patients evaluated for acute coronary syndrome

Talea Cornelius et al. J Behav Med. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Stressful health situations may compromise spouses'/partners' ability to provide patients with support. We tested whether partner status/partner presence in the emergency department (ED) were associated with patients' adherence to daily cardiovascular medications and whether effects differed by age/gender. Participants were 189 patients evaluated for acute coronary syndrome at an urban academic ED (MAge = 62.18; 57.1% male; 58.7% Hispanic). Participants self-reported partner status/partner presence. Medication adherence was measured using an electronic pillcap. For male patients, having a partner was associated with increased adherence in the first month post-discharge, OR 1.94, p < .001, but having a partner present in the ED was associated with lower adherence, OR 0.33, p < .001. The opposite effect was evident for female patients. Partner status/partner presence in the ED are associated with medication adherence during the first month post discharge, with opposing effects for male and female patients.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; Emergency department; Marriage; Medication adherence; Social support.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Partner status and partner presence predicting odds of electronically monitored adherence to daily cardiovascular medication in the first month post-hospital discharge. Note. Error bars represent 95% Confidence Intervals.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Interaction between gender, partner status, and partner presence predicting odds of electronically monitored adherence to daily cardiovascular medication in the first month post-hospital discharge. Note. Error bars represent 95% Confidence Intervals.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Interaction between age, partner status, and partner presence predicting odds of electronically monitored adherence to daily cardiovascular medication in the first month post-hospital discharge. Note. Error bars represent 95% Confidence Intervals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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