Knowledge, awareness, attitude and medication compliance in patients with hypertension

Background: Recognition of the importance of systolic blood pressure (SBP) level has been considered as one of the major public health challenges in the prevention and treatment of hypertension HTN. Studies indicate that most of the patients with HTN don't control the SBP. The purpose of the study was to assess the patients' knowledge, awareness and attitude towards HTN, especially related to SPB and their compliance with antihypertensive treatment. Material and methods: The quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study has been conducted and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale was used. Results: Most of patients have sufficient general knowledge about HTN. However, they know less about the specific factors associated with their disease, in particular: 77% of patients were unaware about their systolic blood pressure (SBP) at the time of HTN diagnosis and 75% - at the last visit to the doctor. The main reasons for the patient low compliance with treatment were low availability of medicines due to high costs (n = 44; 22%), daily chores that prevent from taking medication continuously at the proper time (n = 32; 16%), forgetfulness of taking medications (n = 24, 12%). Conclusions: Recognition of the importance of SBP level has been considered as one of the major challenges of public health and medicine in the prevention and treatment of HTN. The study emphasizes the necessity to maximize the effectiveness of HTN prevention and control programs to achieve optimal control of SBP.