Barriers to Medication adherence among hypertensive patients in deprived rural areas

Background and Aim: Poor adherence to medication regimen leads to poor health outcomes, increased medical costs and increased death rate due to hypertension. The aim of this study was to evaluate baseline barriers to medication adherence among hypertensive patients in deprived rural areas. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 238 hypertensive patients living in deprived rural areas of Iran. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of demographic information, Morisky medication adherence scale and the barriers to medication adherence that were reliable and valid. Findings: The results of the study showed that medication adherence was significantly decreased and had a significant positive correlation with gender, age, and economic status, while it had a negative correlation with age. Medication Adherence had a positive correlation with the duration of hypertension, while it had a negative correlation with the number of medications used and concurrently with other diseases. Conclusion: Enhancing the knowledge and perception of people about illness and treatment, financial support, and the concentration of physicians to control the disease with a minimum number of drugs can be helpful in the improvement of a patient's medication adherence and prevention of complications of hypertension.