KNOWLEDGE OF AND COMPLIANCE WITH THERAPEUTIC REGIMENS AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN NIGERIA

Hypertension is a global public health issue as it is the most common cardiovascular disease worldwide. Being one the few diseases that come with complications, this study investigated the level of compliance of hypertensive patients with treatment regimens among such patients attending outpatient departments of selected tertiary hospitals in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive research design was used. A sample size of 309 was selected from a total population of 946. A convenient sampling technique and self-structured questionnaire were used as an instrument for data collection. Results showed that only 40.7 per cent of the respondents had a good knowledge of hypertension. The majority (90 %) (N = 270) of the respondents were not compliant with treatment regimens. There was a significant relationship between knowledge of hypertension and lifestyle modification among the respondents at (chi(2) = 0.022; < p = 0.05). There was no significant difference in the level of compliance with antihypertensive treatment between respondents in the selected hospitals (p = 0.791). The monthly income was found to have a significant relationship with compliance with treatment regimens at (chi(2) = 0.000, 0.037, 0.001, 0.008, 0.010, 0.000 and 0.000; < p = 0.05). The study also shows that there was no significant difference in knowledge and the rate of compliance among the selected hospitals (0.883 and 0.798 respectively). Therefore it is recommended that nurses engage in health education and awareness programmes to meet the needs for increased awareness and further education of the people on the advantages of adherence to their medication and treatment regimens.