ASSESSING PATIENT KNOWLEDGE AND COMPLIANCE WITH ANTIHYPERTENSIVE TREATMENT IN TECHIMAN MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

The study focused on hypertension (HPT), commonly known as high blood pressure, which is defined as persistently elevated blood pressure levels in adults. It aimed to assess the knowledge and compliance of hypertensive patients with their antihypertensive treatment in the Techiman Municipality. The study employed a hospital-based cross-sectional quantitative descriptive approachusing convenience sampling with a sample size of 234 adult hypertensive patients as respondents. The data was collected using structured questionnaires. The findings indicated that most patients believed that hypertension was caused by an increase in blood pressure. Furthermore, most of them were aware of practices that could elevate blood pressure, such as excessive salt intake and consuming fatty foods. Interestingly, some patients attributed hypertension to factors like witchcraft or financial constraints. The findings called for several key recommendations: Firstly, conduct larger-scale research to delve deeper into factors driving antihypertensive non-compliance. Strengthen health promotion initiatives, including advocating healthy lifestyles, patient education, family counseling, and robust social support networks, to boost treatment adherence and well-being. Implement compliance monitoring studies to pinpoint noncompliant patients more accurately and potentially reduce healthcare costs. Ensure convenient access and sufficient availability of antihypertensive medications. Lastly, prioritize patient education to dispel misconceptions about hypertension, especially beliefs related to witchcraft. In sum, these recommendations offer promise for improving hypertension management in Techiman Municipality.