Adherent and nonadherent medication-taking in elderly hypertensive patients

Nonadherence to medications is a significant reason why patients fail to control their blood pressure. Little work has been attempted to conceptualize medication-taking behaviors from the patient's perspective. This study examined factors that influence elderly hypertensive patients' adherence or nonadherence to prescribed medications. Using a qualitative descriptive research design, 21 hypertensive elderly people were interviewed. Two domains of adherence were identified: purposeful use of the medication for the control of patient's blood pressure and establishing and maintaining patterns of medication-taking. Two similar domains also emerged for nonadherence: purposeful and incidental. Adherence behaviors were dependent on the person's decision to take hypertension medication, access to medications, and ability to initiate treatment and maintain a medication-taking pattern. The timing and location of pills were integral parts of establishing patterns of taking medications. Inadequate access to medications or interruption of a person's pattern were associated with the incidental missing of medications.