Evaluation of medication adherence in hypertension patients

Evaluation of Medication Adherence in Hypertension Patients Aim: This study aims to determine the rate of medication adherence and factors associated with medication non-adherence in patients with hypertension. Method: This is a cross-sectional analytical study. The study was conducted in the Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, between January-April 2025 on voluntary patients on antihypertensive medication who applied to the outpatient clinic of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University and the outpatient clinic of the Education Family Medicine Unit. A questionnaire form inquiring about sociodemographic characteristics and health status and the Hill-Bone hypertension treatment adherence scale were administered to the participants face-to-face. Results: The median age of the 372 participants was 56 years (IQR25-75: 48-65.75) and 50.3% (n=187) were men. 59.1% (n=220) of the participants had comorbidities other than hypertension. Hypertension was diagnosed by internal medicine in 39.8% (n=148) and cardiology in 36.3% (n=135) of the participants. Of those who applied to the family medicine center where the individuals were registered, 60.2% (n=224) were being treated and followed up for hypertension. 42.5% (n=158) of the participants did not measure blood pressure at home, while 54% (n=200) were receiving monotherapy for hypertension. 24.5% (n=91) of the participants were not taking their medications regularly. The median HHUÖ total score was 4 (IQR25-75: 2-6). Female participants had better medication adherence than male participants, those who had a blood pressure monitor at home had better medication adherence than those who did not, those whose income was equal to expenses had better medication adherence than those whose income was more than expenses and those whose income was less than expenses. Conclusion: Good medication adherence should not mislead us. Treatment adherence includes not only medication use, but also various factors such as self-awareness and health literacy. Keywords: Hypertension, Medication Adherence, Hill-Bone