title: Provider communication effects medication adherence in hypertensive African Americans.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10010, USA. antoinette.schoenthaler@nyumc.org
authors.forename: Antoinette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schoenthaler
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Chaplin
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Allegrante
authors.forename: Senaida
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Marleny
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diaz-Gloster
authors.forename: Jonathan N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Tobin
authors.forename: Gbenga
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ogedegbe
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents