[Doctor-patient relationship and therapeutic adherence in patients with arterial hypertension].

Abstract

Background: Systemic Arterial hypertension (SAH) is a serious socio-sanitary problem with high morbidity and mortality, potentially controllable with therapeutic interventions; however, not all patients achieve their therapeutic objectives, mostly due to therapeutic non-adherence, a multifactorial entity that can be reduced through a proper doctor-patient relationship.

Objective: To determine the association between the doctor-patient relationship and the therapeutic adherence in patients with arterial hypertension.

Material and methods: Observational, cross-sectional, analytical, and prospective study carried out from January to November 2021 in a sample of 289 patients with SAH from a family medical unit in Northwest Mexico; the 8-item Morisky-Green Test was used to assess therapeutic adherence and the Patient-Doctor Relationship Questionnaire to assess the doctor-patient relationship.

Results: The prevalence of therapeutic adherence was 57%, which is why 4 out of 10 patients with SAH were not adherent to their treatment, and more than half of the patients showed a good doctor-patient relationship (64%), which doubles the probability of adherence to antihypertensive treatment (OR 1.92, 26 with a 95% CI of 1.54-2.39, p = 0.000).

Conclusions: The absence of adherence to antihypertensive treatment is a frequent and multifactorial problem, with few advances in recent decades. The doctor-patient relationship is a factor that influences the therapeutic adherence of patients with SAH.