Provider communication effects medication adherence in hypertensive African Americans.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of patients' perceptions of providers' communication on medication adherence in hypertensive African Americans.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study of 439 patients with poorly controlled hypertension followed in community-based healthcare practices in the New York metropolitan area. Patients' rating of their providers' communication was assessed with a perceived communication style questionnaire,while medication adherence was assessed with the Morisky self-report measure.


RESULTS
Majority of participants were female, low-income, and had high school level educations, with mean age of 58 years. Fifty-five percent reported being nonadherent with their medications; and 51% rated their provider's communication to be non-collaborative. In multivariate analysis adjusted for patient demographics and covariates (depressive symptoms, provider degree), communication rated as collaborative was associated with better medication adherence (beta=-.11, p=.03). Other significant correlates of medication adherence independent of perceived communication were age (beta=.13, p=.02) and depressive symptoms (beta=-.18, p=.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Provider communication rated as more collaborative was associated with better adherence to antihypertensive medications in a sample of low-income hypertensive African-American patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The quality of patient-provider communication is a potentially modifiable element of the medical relationship that may affect health outcomes in this high-risk patient population.
Schoenthaler
Antoinette
A
Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10010, USA. antoinette.schoenthaler@nyumc.org
Chaplin
William F
WF
Allegrante
John P
JP
Fernandez
Senaida
S
Diaz-Gloster
Marleny
M
Tobin
Jonathan N
JN
Ogedegbe
Gbenga
G
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009519:New York City; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011203:Poverty
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents