Effect of Patient-Centered Care on Medication Adherence among Hypertensive Patients attending General Outpatient Clinic at University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja Nigeria

Abstract

Background Adherence to medication is poor among adult hypertensive patients and is a factor that influences the control of hypertension. The objective of this study is to assess the effects of patient centered clinical care [PCC] on adherence to antihypertensive medications among adult patients at the general outpatient clinic, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Methods The study was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial involving 64 hypertensive adults. Participants were assigned using simple random sampling technique into an intervention and a control group. The intervention offered was patient centered clinical care. The control group received the traditional biomedical care for hypertension. Medication adherence was assessed using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) at baseline and after twelve weeks of follow up. Data was analyzed using SPSS software and t-test and Chi square test were used to assess significant statistical differences between variables and proportions at 5% significance level. Results At baseline, 15.6% of participants in the intervention group and 25.0% of participants in the control group had high medication adherence. At baseline, the difference was not statistically significant (p-value 0.351). However, after twelve weeks of intervention, 75.0% of participants in the intervention group were adherent while only 37.5% in the control group were adherent and this difference was statistically significant (p-value 0.002). Conclusion Patient centered care improved medication adherence among adult hypertensive patients. Therefore the use of patient-cared care is recommended in this setting to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and death.