Medication Adherence and its Predictors among Patients with Heart Failure

Background: Medication adherence is a complex behavioral pattern affecting treatment success. A stepping stone to improve medication adherence is to determine its contributing factors. Objectives: This study intended to evaluate medication adherence and its predictors among patients with heart failure in Mazandaran Heart Center, Sari, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 patients with heart failure who were hospitalized from January to March 2015. Sampling was done through the census method. Data were collected using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and were analyzed using the Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Results: The mean score of treatment adherence was 5.82 +/- 2.54. Medication adherence had a significant correlation with education level (P = 0.012), number of children (P = 0.013), comorbidity (P = 0.002), ejection fraction (P = 0.046), and the number of tablets used per day (P = 0.001). However, it was not significantly correlated with age, gender, employment status, place of residence, income level, and the number of hospitalizations for heart failure (P > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that none of the demographic and clinical characteristics was a significant predictor of medication adherence. Conclusion: Medication adherence is affected by different factors such as education level, number of children, comorbidity, disease severity, and the number of tablets used per day. Nurses need to take these factors into account when developing care plans and patient education programs.