The Influence of Cognition, Anxiety and Psychiatric Disorders over Treatment Adherence in Uncontrolled Hypertensive Patients
2011

Cognition, Anxiety, and Treatment Adherence in Hypertensive Patients

Sample size: 56 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Jacobs Úrsula, De Castro Mauro S., Fuchs Flávio D., Ferreira Maria Beatriz C.

Primary Institution: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil

Hypothesis

Does cognition affect drug adherence?

Conclusion

Cognitive deficit impairs adherence to drug therapy and should be screened as part of a program of pharmaceutical care to improve adherence to treatment.

Supporting Evidence

  • Participants with an unsatisfactory score in the Mini-mental had six-fold higher risk of non-adherence to treatment.
  • All non-adherent patients showed at least one altered test for immediate memory.
  • The proportion of patients with normal score in the Mini-mental was greater in the adherence group.

Takeaway

If someone has trouble thinking clearly, they might forget to take their medicine, which can make them sick.

Methodology

This is a cohort study with 56 adult patients with uncontrolled hypertension who participated in a randomized clinical trial of pharmaceutical care.

Potential Biases

Potential beta error due to small sample size.

Limitations

The small sample size and the selection criteria may have excluded participants with significant psychiatric disorders or high anxiety.

Participant Demographics

Adult patients over 18 years of age with uncontrolled hypertension.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.007

Confidence Interval

1.6–20.8

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0022925

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