Objective:

The aim of this study is to evaluate the compliance with medication in geriatric patients with hypertension.

Material and Methods:

The study was conducted in 107 patients at the age of 65 and over with hypertension who were recieving antihypertensive treatment and following at the Ankara Gulhane Military Medical Academy Geriatric Outpatients in May to July 2012. The data collection form involves patient demographic data,16 questions on chronic diseases and treatment the patients have, and the Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (MASES-SF) consisting of 13 questions. The data were analyzed through calculating percentage, the Student t-test and one way ANOVA.

Results:

The mean age of participants was 74.7±6.0 (for man 77.2±6.7, for woman 73.5±5.3). In addition to hypertension, 93.4% of patients had comorbid diseases. 36.4% of patients had type 2 diabetes, 27.1% had hyperlipidemia, 26.2% had coronary artery disease (CAD) and 12.1% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It has been identified that 34.6%, 21.5%, 44% of participants were taking drugs in number of 3,4,5 and above a day, respectively. It was found the mean drug compliance score of self-efficacy scale in geriatric patients was high (45.05±6.06). The mean score of geriatric patients who didn’t need to be reminded of the drug intake time, and who were living alone were high and the result was statistically significant (p<0.05).

Conclusion:

It was confirmed that geriatric patients with hypertension had compliance with drug treatment. To provide and increase the compliance with medication, it is essential to control whether the treatment way is understood or not. That’s why, it is necessary to evaluate the compliance with drug treatment in 65 year-old and above patients for an effictual treatment.

Keywords: Hypertension, elderly, compliance with drug treatment