Compliance with hypertension medications

Psychoeducation of the patient and family is required to avoid the development of hopelessness in both the patient and family, and the clinician. Comparing these strategies with other treatments of medical disorders can be useful to help patients and their families understand the medication plan and to improve compliance with and tolerance of treatment. In this instance the example of hypertension is appropriate diuretics may be used alone, or combined with other antihypertensives in different trials, according to response. 

Medication compliance is notoriously poor in cardiovascular patients. Administering an ACE inhibitor such as lisinopril once daily results in greatly enhanced medication compliance. The therapeutic outcomes of patients with hypertension and CHF have improved... 

Hyland ME, Kenyon CAP, Allen R, Howarth P. Diary keeping in asthma comparison of written and electronic methods. Br Med J 1993 306 487 89 Kelloway JS, Wyatt RA, Adlis SA. Comparison of patients compliance with prescribed oral and inhaled asthma medications. Arch Intern Med 1994 154 1349-1352. Steiner JF, Fihn SD, Blair B, Inut TS. Appropriate reductions in compliance among well-controlled hypertensive patients. J Clin Epidemiol 1991 44 1361-1371. Chmelik F Doughty A. Objective measurements of compliance in asthma treatment. Ann Allergy 1994 73 527-532. 

---