Compliance with hypertension treatment. Strategies for improving patient cooperation.

Adherence to medical advice and regimens is a basic consideration in the ongoing management of hypertensive patients. The magnitude of poor compliance and noncompliance is a substantial problem in many settings. However, even the busiest practitioner can detect patients with adherence problems through such simple, practical methods as watching for missed clinic visits and directly questioning patients. Although numerous factors have been related to suboptimum compliance, it is clear that no single factor is predictive. The best approach for improving compliance appears to involve a combination of strategies.