Dataset Information

Association Between Patient-Clinician Relationships and Adherence to Antihypertensive Medications Among Black Adults: An Observational Study Design.

ABSTRACT: Background We assessed the associations between patient-clinician relationships (communication and involvement in shared decision-making [SDM]) and adherence to antihypertensive medications. Methods and Results The 2010 to 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data were analyzed. A retrospective cohort study design was used to create a cohort of prevalent and new users of antihypertensive medications. We defined constructs of patient-clinician communication and involvement in SDM from patient responses to the standard questionnaires about satisfaction and access to care during the first year of surveys. Verified self-reported medication refill information collected during the second year of surveys was used to calculate medication refill adherence; adherence was defined as medication refill adherence ≥80%. Survey-weighted multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were used to measure the odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI for the association between both patient-clinician constructs and adherence. Our analysis involved 2571 Black adult patients with hypertension (mean age of 58 years; SD, 14 years) who were either persistent (n=1788) or new users (n=783) of antihypertensive medications. Forty-five percent (n=1145) and 43% (n=1016) of the sample reported having high levels of communication and involvement in SDM, respectively. High, versus low, patient-clinician communication (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.14-1.67) and involvement in SDM (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.08-1.61) were both associated with adherence to antihypertensives after adjusting for multiple covariates. These associations persisted among a subgroup of new users of antihypertensive medications. Conclusions Patient-clinician communication and involvement in SDM are important predictors of optimal adherence to antihypertensive medication and should be targeted for improving adherence among Black adults with hypertension.

SUBMITTER: Chang TJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8483480 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundPoor medication adherence is an extraordinarily common problem worldwide that contributes to inadequate control of many chronic diseases, including Hypertension (HT). Globally, less than 14% of the estimated 1.4 billion patients with HT achieve optimal control. A myriad of barriers, across patient, healthcare provider, and system levels, contributes to poor medication adherence. Few studies have explored the reasons for poor medication adherence in Tanzania and other African countries.MethodsA qualitative study applying grounded theory principles was conducted in the catchment area of two semi-urban clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to determine the perceived barriers to HT medication adherence. Ten key informant interviews were conducted with healthcare providers who manage HT patients. Patients diagnosed with HT (SBP ≥ 140 and DBP ≥ 90), were randomly selected from patient registers, and nine focus group discussions were conducted with a total 34 patients. Inductive codes were developed separately for the two groups, prior to analyzing key thematic ideas with smaller sub-categories.ResultsAffordability of antihypertensive medication and access to care emerged as the most important barriers. Fee subsidies for treatment and medication, along with health insurance, were mentioned as potential solutions to enhance access and adherence. Patient education and quality of physician counseling were mentioned by both providers and patients as major barriers to medication adherence, as most patients were unaware of their HT and often took medications only when symptomatic. Use of local herbal medicines was mentioned as an alternative to medications, as they were inexpensive, available, and culturally acceptable. Patient recommendations for improving adherence included community-based distribution of refills, SMS text reminders, and family support. Reliance on religious leaders over healthcare providers emerged as a potential means to promote adherence in some discussions.ConclusionsEffective management of hypertensive patients for medication adherence will require several context-specific measures. These include policy measures addressing financial access, with medication subsidies for the poor and accessible distribution systems for medication refill; physician measures to improve health provider counseling for patient centric care; and patient-level strategies with reminders for medication adherence in low resource settings.

Project description:ImportanceBlack patients with serious illness experience higher-intensity care at the end of life. Little research has used critical, race-conscious approaches to examine factors associated with these outcomes.ObjectiveTo investigate the lived experiences of Black patients with serious illness and how various factors may be associated with patient-clinician communication and medical decision-making.Design, setting, and participantsIn this qualitative study, one-on-one, semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 Black patients with serious illness hospitalized at an urban academic medical center in Washington State between January 2021 and February 2023. Patients were asked to discuss experiences with racism, how those experiences affected the way they communicated with clinicians, and how racism impacted medical decision-making. Public Health Critical Race Praxis was used as framework and process.Main outcomes and measuresThe experience and of racism and its association, as described by Black patients who had serious illness, with patient-clinician communication and medical decision-making within a racialized health care setting.ResultsA total of 25 Black patients (mean [SD] age, 62.0 [10.3] years; 20 males [80.0%]) with serious illness were interviewed. Participants had substantial socioeconomic disadvantage, with low levels of wealth (10 patients with 0 assets [40.0%]), income (annual income <$25 000 among 19 of 24 patients with income data [79.2%]), educational attainment (mean [SD] 13.4 [2.7] years of schooling), and health literacy (mean [SD] score in the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Short Form, 5.8 [2.0]). Participants reported high levels of medical mistrust and high frequency of discrimination and microaggressions experienced in health care settings. Participants reported epistemic injustice as the most common manifestation of racism: silencing of their own knowledge and lived experiences about their bodies and illness by health care workers. Participants reported that these experiences made them feel isolated and devalued, especially if they had intersecting, marginalized identities, such as being underinsured or unhoused. These experiences were associated with exacerbation of existing medical mistrust and poor patient-clinician communication. Participants described various mechanisms of self-advocacy and medical decision-making based on prior experiences with mistreatment from health care workers and medical trauma.Conclusions and relevanceThis study found that Black patients' experiences with racism, specifically epistemic injustice, were associated with their perspectives on medical care and decision-making during serious illness and end of life. These findings suggest that race-conscious, intersectional approaches may be needed to improve patient-clinician communication and support Black patients with serious illness to alleviate the distress and trauma of racism as these patients near the end of life.

Project description:Non-adherence to antihypertensive medications is a major cause of uncontrolled hypertension, leading to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Ensuring consistent medication possession is crucial in addressing non-adherence. Community-based medication delivery is a strategy that may improve medication possession, adherence, and blood pressure (BP) reduction. Our program in Kenya piloted a community medication delivery program, coupled with blood pressure monitoring and adherence evaluation. Between September 2019 and March 2020, patients who received hypertension care from our chronic disease management program also received community-based delivery of antihypertensive medications. We calculated number of days during which each patient had possession of medications and analyzed the relationship between successful medication delivery and self-reported medication adherence and BP. A total of 128 patient records (80.5% female) were reviewed. At baseline, mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 155.7 mmHg and mean self-reported adherence score was 2.7. Sixty-eight (53.1%) patients received at least 1 successful medication delivery. Our pharmacy dispensing records demonstrated that medication possession was greater among patients receiving medication deliveries. Change in self-reported medication adherence from baseline worsened in patients who did not receive any medication delivery (+0.5), but improved in patients receiving 1 delivery (-0.3) and 2 or more deliveries (-0.8). There was an SBP reduction of 1.9, 6.1, and 15.5 mmHg among patients who did not receive any deliveries, those who received 1 delivery, and those who received 2 or more medication deliveries, respectively. Adjusted mixed-effect model estimates revealed that mean SBP reduction and self-reported medication adherence were improved among individuals who successfully received medication deliveries, compared to those who did not. A community medication delivery program in western Kenya was shown to be implementable and enhanced medication possession, reduced SBP, and significantly improved self-reported adherence. This is a promising strategy to improve health outcomes for patients with uncontrolled hypertension that warrants further investigation.

Project description:BackgroundThe majority of people with hypertension require more than one medication to achieve blood pressure control. Many patients are prescribed multipill antihypertensive regimens rather than single-pill fixed-dose combination (FDC) treatment. Although FDC use may improve medication adherence, the impact on patient outcomes is unclear. We compared clinical outcomes and medication adherence with FDC therapy versus multipill combination therapy in a real-world setting using linked clinical and administrative databases.Methods and findingsWe conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of 13,350 individuals 66 years and older in Ontario, Canada with up to 5 years of follow-up. We included individuals who were newly initiated on one angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin II-receptor blocker (ARB) plus one thiazide diuretic. High-dimensional propensity score matching was used to compare individuals receiving FDC versus multipill therapy. The primary outcome was a composite of death or hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, or stroke. We conducted 2 analyses to examine the association between adherence and patient outcomes. First, we performed an on-treatment analysis to determine whether outcomes differed between groups while patients were on treatment, censoring patients when they first discontinued treatment, defined as not receiving medications within 150% of the previous days' supply. Second, we conducted an intention-to-treat analysis that followed individuals allowing for breaks in treatment to quantify the difference in drug adherence between groups and assess its impact on clinical outcomes. As expected, there was no significant difference in the primary outcome between groups in the on-treatment analysis (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.86-1.31, P = 0.60). In the intention-to-treat analysis, the proportion of total follow-up days covered with medications was significantly greater in the FDC group (70%; IQR 19-98) than in the multipill group (42%, IQR 11-91, P < 0.01), and the primary outcome was less frequent in FDC recipients (3.4 versus 3.9 events per 100 person-years; HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.81-0.97, P < 0.01). The main limitations of this study were the lack of data regarding cause of death and blood pressure measurements and the possibility of residual confounding.ConclusionsAmong older adults initiating combination antihypertensive treatment, FDC therapy was associated with a significantly lower risk of composite clinical outcomes, which may be related to better medication adherence.

Project description:BackgroundAlthough a majority of patients with hypertension require a multidrug therapy, this is rarely considered when measuring adherence from refill data. Moreover, investigating the association between refill non-adherence to antihypertensive therapy (AHT) and elevated blood pressure (BP) has been advocated.ObjectiveIdentify factors associated with non-adherence to AHT, considering the multidrug therapy, and investigate the association between non-adherence to AHT and elevated BP.MethodsA retrospective cohort study including patients with hypertension, identified from a random sample of 5025 Swedish adults. Two measures of adherence were estimated by the proportion of days covered method (PDC≥80%): (1) Adherence to any antihypertensive medication and, (2) adherence to the full AHT regimen. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to investigate the association between sociodemographic factors (age, sex, education, income), clinical factors (user profile, number of antihypertensive medications, healthcare use, cardiovascular comorbidities) and non-adherence. Moreover, the association between non-adherence (long-term and a month prior to BP measurement) and elevated BP was investigated.ResultsNon-adherence to any antihypertensive medication was higher among persons < 65 years (Odds Ratio, OR 2.75 [95% CI, 1.18-6.43]) and with the lowest income (OR 2.05 [95% CI, 1.01-4.16]). Non-adherence to the full AHT regimen was higher among new users (OR 2.04 [95% CI, 1.32-3.15]), persons using specialized healthcare (OR 1.63, [95% CI, 1.14-2.32]), and having multiple antihypertensive medications (OR 1.85 [95% CI, 1.25-2.75] and OR 5.22 [95% CI, 3.48-7.83], for 2 and ≥3 antihypertensive medications, respectively). Non-adherence to any antihypertensive medication a month prior to healthcare visit was associated with elevated BP.ConclusionSociodemographic factors were associated with non-adherence to any antihypertensive medication while clinical factors with non-adherence to the full AHT regimen. These differing findings support considering the use of multiple antihypertensive medications when measuring refill adherence. Monitoring patients' refill adherence prior to healthcare visit may facilitate interpreting elevated BP.

Dataset Information

Association Between Patient-Clinician Relationships and Adherence to Antihypertensive Medications Among Black Adults: An Observational Study Design.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets