title: Adherent and nonadherent medication-taking in elderly hypertensive patients.
abstract: Nonadherence to medications is a significant reason why patients fail to control their blood pressure. Little work has been attempted to conceptualize medication-taking behaviors from the patient's perspective. This study examined factors that influence elderly hypertensive patients' adherence or nonadherence to prescribed medications. Using a qualitative descriptive research design, 21 hypertensive elderly people were interviewed. Two domains of adherence were identified: purposeful use of the medication for the control of patient's blood pressure and establishing and maintaining patterns of medication-taking. Two similar domains also emerged for nonadherence: purposeful and incidental. Adherence behaviors were dependent on the person's decision to take hypertension medication, access to medications, and ability to initiate treatment and maintain a medication-taking pattern. The timing and location of pills were integral parts of establishing patterns of taking medications. Inadequate access to medications or interruption of a person's pattern were associated with the incidental missing of medications.
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, USA.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D012646:Self Administration / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents