Medication adherence in hypertensive patients of different cardiovascular risk treated in primary health care.

BACKGROUND

The execution of the dosing regimen in Polish primary health care is unknown. The aim of the study was to appraise the medication adherence in patients with hypertension of various cardiovascular risk.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A prospective interviewer questionnaire-based study included 1,467 consecutive patients with arterial hypertension with the pharmacotherapy containing ramipril in the daily dose of 10 mg. The mean observation period was 30.3 +/- 7.0 days (20-56 days). At the followup visit the study participants filled the Morisky-Green test appraising the medication non-adherence.

RESULTS

As many as 60.9% of the study participants have ever forgotten to take their medicine, 60.7% are sometimes neglectful in regard to their medicine hours, 32.4% skip their medicine hours when they are feeling well and 37.4% skip the drugs when they feel badly due to the medicine. Drug adherence was observed in 26.0% of patients. The level of adherence varied between different cardiovascular risk groups and was higher in the groups of lower cardiovacular risk. A very weak correlation between cardiovascular risk level and non-adherence to medication assessed with Morisky-Green scale was observed (r = 0.078, p = 0.047). No relation of non-compliance to medication to age and gender was noted.

CONCLUSIONS

Drug adherence in patients with hypertension treated in Polish primary healthcare is very low regardless of the cardiovascular risk level.