Compliance Behaviour After a Coronary Ischaemic Event: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Adherence to a Protocolised Follow-Up in Primary Care

Abstract

Following a coronary ischaemic event, it is essential to promote empowerment in self-care decision making. Primary care nursing is crucial for intensive follow-up to promote adherence to the therapeutic regimen. Objective: To ascertain whether adherence to a protocolised follow-up programme, with the support of a patient notebook, improves compliance behaviours in terms of physical activity, prescribed diet and medication. This is a quasi-experimental multicentre pre/post study. Population: Individuals aged 40-70 years, diagnosed with cardiac ischaemia in the last 18 months with a follow-up from March 2017 to January 2019, were included in a protocolised follow-up programme consisting of 11 visits over 12 months. A total of 194 patients started the programme and 132 completed it. Of these, 67.4% exhibited good adherence to follow-up, 31.8% exhibited medium adherence, and 0.8% exhibited poor adherence. Therefore, the patients were recoded into two variables: Medium-Low Adherence and High. The Nursing Outcomes Classification variables were significantly different between the Poor-Medium and Good Adherence groups and were always higher in the Good Adherence group (p-values < 0.05 t-student). There was a significant relationship between level of adherence and compliance behaviour. Good adherence to a follow-up plan led by primary care nurses improves compliance behaviours in terms of prescribed diet, physical activity, and medication. Early, intensive and protocolised follow-up by primary care nurses is essential to improve adherence to the therapeutic regimen and compliance behaviour among individuals with cardiac ischaemia. The use of a cardiovascular self-care notebook promotes adherence.

Keywords: cardiovascular diseases; cardiovascular risk factors; myocardial infarction; nursing; patient compliance; primary health care; self care.

Figure 1

Flow chart showing the study population and recruited nurses. ^a Patients who dropped out of the study after signing the informed consent form at consultation 0 and did not attend the first consultation; ^b percentage of the 62 patients who dropped out once the programme had started.