Medication Adherence and its Predictors among Patients with Heart Failure

Background: Medication adherence is a complex behavioral pattern affectingtreatment success. A stepping stone to improve medication adherence is todetermine its contributing factors. Objectives: This study intended to evaluatemedication adherence and its predictors among patients with heart failure inMazandaran Heart Center, Sari, Iran. Methods: This cross‑sectional study wasconducted on 300 patients with heart failure who were hospitalized from Januaryto March 2015. Sampling was done through the census method. Data werecollected using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and were analyzed usingthe Chi‑square test and logistic regression analysis. Results: The mean score oftreatment adherence was 5.82 ± 2.54. Medication adherence had a significantcorrelation with education level (P = 0.012), number of children (P = 0.013),comorbidity (P = 0.002), ejection fraction (P = 0.046), and the number of tabletsused per day (P = 0.001). However, it was not significantly correlated with age,gender, employment status, place of residence, income level, and the number ofhospitalizations for heart failure (P 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showedthat none of the demographic and clinical characteristics was a significant predictorof medication adherence. Conclusion: Medication adherence is affected bydifferent factors such as education level, number of children, comorbidity, diseaseseverity, and the number of tablets used per day. Nurses need to take these factorsinto account when developing care plans and patient education programs.