patient compliance in the treatment of arterial hypertension

Background. The family medicine doctor has an important role at discovering and treating hypertension patients. There is no doubt that many factors contribute to poor compliance with long-term antihipertensive therapy. They can originate both sides – patient’s and doctors. The aim of the present qualitative study is to get an insight into which are the patient’s points of view as well as his beliefs about the hypertension, the prescribed treatment and which obstacles the patients meet during their treatment.

Methods. The qualitative methodology was used with the focus group that included seven hypertension patients. Patients’ words/presentation were recorded, transcribed and checked. The data were analysed by three independent researchers by means of the text analysis through the marking of significant quotations, coding, assembling of codes into themata and categories. The grounded theory was used.

Results. Patient compliance in the treatment is increased by relation of partnership and trust in his doctor, medical education and patient’s acceptability of medicament. On the other hand, it is decreased by the fact that disease is symptomless, lack of information about the disease and unwanted side effects of medicaments, bad feeling after medicaments taking and long waiting period.

Conclusions. An important issue in failure to control hypertension is low compliance with treatment, which remains a universal problem. Compliance involves not only taking the prescribed medications but also adherence to follow-up appointments and maintaining the recommended lifestyle modifications. Furthermore, the patient should be an active participant in the plan of care. Patients’ knowledge of hypertension and its complications is an important factor in achieving better compliance, and hence control.