Treatment compliance and health perception in patients with hypertension

Aim: Treatment non-compliance and deficiencies in the level of health perception are poor prognostic factors for the disease in patients with hypertension, and in our study, it was aimed to measure the levels of treatment compliance and health perception with the questions directed to hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: Patients over the age of 18 who applied to Family Health Centers accessible in the central districts of Şanlıurfa between February 2023 and April 2023 with a diagnosis of hypertension and who used antihypertensive drugs for more than 6 months and accepted to participate in the study were included in the study. Sociodemographic Data Form, Hill-Bone Hypertension Treatment Adherence Scale, and Health Perception Scale were administered to the volunteers, which included information about the participants' sociodemographic characteristics and drug use, respectively. Results: The mean age of 205 participants in the study was 58.6±14.1 (min 18 – max 88), 108 (52.7%) of the participants were female and 163 (79.5%) were married. When their employment status was questioned, 70 (34.1%) of them were working, and when their educational status was questioned, the highest rate (35.1%) was primary school graduates. The mean age of those whose blood pressure was under control was statistically significantly lower (p<0.001). No significant difference was found between the total scores of HBHTUÖ in terms of gender, marital status, employment status, education and income status. Hill Bone Treatment Adherence Scale - Total Score was 7.2±4.3. There was a significant difference between the blood pressure measurement frequency and the frequency of going to the doctor's control groups and the total scores of HBHTUÖ (p<0.001). The HBHTÖ total scores of those with comorbidity were statistically significantly lower than those without comorbidity (p=0.001). The importance of health subgroup scores of the participants whose marital status was married were found to be statistically significantly lower (p=0.006). Conclusion: Regular follow-up of the patient is critical in the course of chronic diseases. In order to prevent mortality and morbidity with early diagnosis and treatment, it is recommended to show the necessary sensitivity in blood pressure measurement and hypertension screening in clinical examination in all age groups, especially in middle and advanced ages, where the incidence of the disease increases. It would be beneficial to provide family physicians with not only follow-up programs for chronic diseases, but also trainings that will increase the treatment compliance of the patients and increase the perception of health during the specialization training process. Keywords: Hypertension, treatment compliance, health perception