Abstract
Introduction Hypertension is a major health concern, especially in low-income countries. Nonadherence and poor or no persistence in adhering to hypertension treatment regimens result in uncontrolled high blood pressure, increasing rates of mortality and morbidity, and preventable healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to assess the level of adherence and barriers to treatment regimens among hypertensive patients living in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Methods A convenience sample of 648 participants completed the Hill-Bone Compliance to High Blood Pressure Therapy Scale. The great majority of participants (n = 521, 80.4%) was highly adherent to their treatment regimen, 123 participants (18.98%) were classified as moderately nonadherent, and 4 (0.62%) participants were classified as highly nonadherent to their hypertension treatment regimen. Participants of this study showed the highest adherence rate to the domain of medication adherence (mean of 1.42 out of 4) followed by appointment keeping (mean 1.8), while they were least adherent to diet (mean of 2.18). The greatest three barriers to adherence to the recommended treatment regimen reported by participants were inability to exercise, inability to resist fast and fried food, and inability to keep themselves away from salty foods. Conclusion Overall adherence to medication in Gaza was surprisingly good in patients with a diagnosis of hypertension for at least one year. However, adherence to lifestyle advice or dietary regimes remains poor. A combination of interventions using low-cost mobile technology, combined with face-to-face interventions by healthcare professionals, can be applied to improve adherence to hypertension treatment regimens in order to reduce the consequences of uncontrolled blood pressure.
Highlights
Hypertension is a major health concern, especially in low-income countries
[9]. ere is a tendency for risk factor clustering among hypertensive patients [10] which contributes to increasing the number of morbidities as well as preventable healthcare costs
Assessing adherence and exploring barriers to hypertension treatment regimens among hypertensive patients are important in order to highlight possible solutions to overcome these obstacles, improving the level of adherence to treatment among this group of patients. is will be reflected on reducing the number and severity of associated complications, number and length of hospitalizations, and their impact on quality of life of patients and reducing healthcareassociated costs. erefore, this study aimed to assess the level of adherence and barriers to hypertension treatment regimens among hypertensive patients living in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Summary
Hypertension is a major health concern, especially in low-income countries. Nonadherence and poor or no persistence in adhering to hypertension treatment regimens result in uncontrolled high blood pressure, increasing rates of mortality and morbidity, and preventable healthcare costs. e aim of this study was to assess the level of adherence and barriers to treatment regimens among hypertensive patients living in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Nonadherence and poor or no persistence in adhering to hypertension treatment regimens result in uncontrolled high blood pressure, increasing rates of mortality and morbidity, and preventable healthcare costs. A combination of interventions using low-cost mobile technology, combined with face-to-face interventions by healthcare professionals, can be applied to improve adherence to hypertension treatment regimens in order to reduce the consequences of uncontrolled blood pressure. High blood pressure (BP) is often asymptomatic and usually referred to as the silent killer It is responsible for approximately half of the incidence of stroke and ischemic heart diseases, and it is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, posing a formidable challenge to healthcare [1,2,3,4,5,6]. According to the annual report published by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, cardiovascular
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