The Effect of Mindfulness Level on Drug Adherence in Hypertension Patients

Abstract

Aim:The effect of mindfulness levels of hypertensive patients on drug adherence was studied.Materials and Methods:Hypertensive patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years, who gave their consent to participate in the study, were literate and had been using antihypertensive drugs for at least one year, were included in the study. Those who had mental retardation and/or mental disease that prevented filling the scale were excluded from the study. It is a cross-sectional and descriptive study. Socio-demographic data form and the Mindful Attention Awareness scale (MAAS) and Modified Morisky Adherence scale were applied to the participants.Results:Drug adherence of the patients with a low mean age was found to be low. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of drug compliance when it was examined in terms of gender, education level, employment status and marital status. In those with a family history of hypertension, the rate of low drug adherence was significantly higher compared to the rate of medium-high drug adherence, there was no statistically significant difference in drug adherence scores in terms of hypertension duration of disease. The mean MAAS scores were significantly higher in those with medium- high drug adherence.Conclusion:Our study results provide evidence that drug adherence was low in the hypertensive patient group and there was a significant relationship between mindfulness and adherence. As in other chronic diseases, it is vital to increase drug adherence in hypertensive patients and to increase the level of mindfulness affecting drug adherence for this purpose. Our study data will raise awareness for clinical interventions in this area.

Keywords

• hypertension
• mindfulness
• drug adherence