Factors Related To Medication Adherence among Persons with Hypertension in Nepal

Abstract Background: Hypertension is a crucial worldwide health concern and a fatal disease. Medication adherence is essential in managing blood pressure, decreasing the likelihood of stroke, reducing the risk of kidney disease, improving renal outcomes, lowering mortality rates, and minimizing healthcare costs. Purpose: This study aimed to examine perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefit, perceived barrier, and self-efficacy among persons with hypertension and the relationship between them in Nepal. Methods: The descriptive correlation study was conducted with 212 hypertensive persons from the Outpatient Department of AMDA Hospital, Nepal. Data were collected using validitated instrumnets between Feburary 2023 to April 2023. The research instruments included the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5), the Health Belief for Hypertensive Patient Scale (HBHS), and the Medication Adherence Self Efficacy Scale Revised (MASES-R). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation. Results: The results revealed that the overall medication adherence level in this study was non-adherent 72.64% (mean 20.12, SD 3.31, range 10-25). Perceived susceptibility (r = 0.07, p = 0.32) and perceived benefits (r = 0.10, p = 0.13) did not correlate with medication adherence. However, the perceived severity (r = 0.16, p = 0.02), perceived barrier (r = 0.19, p = 0.01), and self-efficacy (r = 0.23, p = 0.00) had a weak positive correlation with medication adherence. Conclusions: The study results highlight the importance of medication adherence and the factors associated with medication adherence in persons with hypertension. The findings can be applied to develop strategies to enhance medication adherence by considering factors such as the perceived severity of the disease, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy in patients with hypertension in Nepal.