463 MEDICATION COMPLIANCE AMONG OUTPATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION BLOOD PRESSURE

Abstract

Background: Medication noncompliance is one of the daily problems of the physician. Improving the medication adherence allows better management of hypertension. The aim of this study is to assess adherence to medication in hypertensive Moroccans and to look for factors of bad compliance. Methods: This is a prospective study conducted between November 2010 and March 2012. We included 953 outpatients with essential hypertension followed in a cardiology department. Based on the WHO definition of compliance, we used a questionnaire to evaluate the different levels of adherence to treatments. Results: The mean age of patients was 59.3 ± 11.5 years and 605 (63.5%) were women. 529 of our patients (55.5%) have a monthly income less than the guaranteed minimum wage and 535 (56.1%) have no health insurance. Illiteracy was observed in 531 (55.7%). Non-compliance was found in 642 (67.4%) patients and was significantly associated with male sex (OR = 4.271, CI [2.899–6.294]; p< 0.001), age more than 50 years old (OR = 14.362, CI [5.019 – 41.092] p< 0.001), lack of health insurance (OR = 68.446 CI [24.163 – 193.881] p< 0.001) and illiteracy (OR = 6.057, CI [2.711 – 13.533] p< 0.001) influence the adherence to treatment. Conclusion: Poor medication adherence is closely related to illiteracy and lack of health insurance. In order to improve medication compliance, it's necessary to extend health insurance coverage and to inform patients of the consequences of noncompliance.