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

Abstract

Background: The 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. Methods: A 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). Results: The 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. Conclusion: When compared to previous studies, this study revealed an increase in adherence rate, but there was no conclusive evidence of a correlation.

Keywords

• COVID-19 pandemic
• Medication adherence
• Hypertensive patients