Influence assessment of SARS-CoV outbreak in Riyadh on medication adherence in hypertensive patients in tertiary hospital

Abstract

BackgroundThe impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on medication adherence has not been studied previously; this cross-sectional survey-based study on hypertensive patients was conducted to determine the impact of COVID-19 on medication adherence. MethodsA cross-sectional study conducted on hypertensive patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC). 500 Patients were selected by a non-probability convenience sampling. The level of medication adherence was measured using a modified questionnaire after reviewing the literature. Data collection was done via interviews and the data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). ResultsThe 500 patients divided into 237 (47.4%) male and 263 (52.6%) female participants. 20.6% of the sample were smokers, while the majority of patients were non-smokers. Furthermore, 65% confirmed having other comorbidities. Almost 65% of the sample reported total adherence to their medications. The study considered those that missed more than 7 continuous days of medication to be non-adherent. As such, almost 5.8% of the sample reported non-adherence to their medications which was a noticeable decrease from previous studies. The variables that proved to have an association with medication adherence were level of education, awareness of blood pressure target, forgetfulness as a mental illness symptom, maintenance of social relationships, delays in medication refills and skips in medical appointments. ConclusionWhen compared to previous studies, this study revealed an increase in adherence rate, but there was no conclusive evidence of a correlation.