RELACIÓN ENTRE EL NIVEL DE CONOCIMIENTO SOBRE LA MEDICACIÓN ANTIHIPERTENSIVA Y LA ADHERENCIA TERAPÉUTICA EN HIPERTENSOS AMBULATORIOS EN EL HOSPITAL LUIS VERNAZA DURANTE EL 2016

Abstract

Medication adherence is a fundamental key in the fight against hypertension and its complications; nonetheless, half of the hypertensive patients do not have good compliance with their treatment regimen. Learning more about antihypertensive medication helps improve adherence. The aim of this study was to estimate medication adherence and knowledge about antihypertensive medication, and then relate them to each other. A survey was made to 202 people who attended as outside patients to Cardiology consults in the Hospital Luis Vernaza in the city of Guayaquil. A questionnaire of 19 questions, prior its validation, was applied to them and the information was analyzed using frequency tables and chi squared test. The results obtained were that 102 (50.5%) of the hypertensive patients are non-adherent; 33 (16.3%) have low knowledge; 159 (78.7%) have moderate knowledge; and 10 (5%) have good knowledge. The association between adherence and knowledge levels was not statistically significant (p = 0.967). It was concluded that an association between the level of knowledge and adherence could not be demonstrated; probably due to other factors that determine medication adherence and that were not identified in this study.