The Impact of Provider Communication on Treatment Adherence in Patients with Hypertension and Diabetes

Current research cites effective provider communication as an important factor in improving treatment adherence and the health outcomes of patients. This study examines the effect of provider communication on treatment adherence in patients with chronic illnesses with a specific focus on hypertension and diabetes. Provider communication was measured using patient satisfaction surveys and treatment compliance was measured as the percentage of hypertensive and diabetic patients with a blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg and hemoglobin A1C levels below 9%. A one-way MANOVA revealed that provider communication had no significant impact on the combined treatment compliance variables for hypertension and diabetes (Wilk’s Lambda = .830, F (8, 166) = 2.03, p = .046, η 2 = .09). However, a post hoc Tukey test revealed a significant difference in the mean value for blood pressure treatment adherence between physician groups with very good and poor communication ratings (p = .025, 95% C. I. = .524, 11.925). Trends indicated that as provider communication scores went up, treatment adherence generally went up as well. These findings indicate that provider communication and treatment adherence in patients are associated. Limitations to the study include small sample sizes and simplified adherence metrics, so future studies could be larger and more detailed in their data collection. Although the findings were inconclusive, provider communication and treatment compliance by patients were found to be connected in some way.