Chemical adherence testing in the clinical management of hypertension: a scoping review

Despite growing use, questions remain surrounding the utility, acceptability and feasibility of chemical adherence testing (CAT) as part of hypertension management in clinical practice.

This scoping review aimed to (i) identify and summarise studies using CAT in hypertension management, and (ii) describe and critically evaluate how CAT is currently being used in the clinical management of hypertension.

Peer-reviewed and published studies in English, reporting original research in any setting, with any study design, were included. Search concepts included hypertension, medication adherence, CAT, and their synonyms.

Searches were carried out using Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and PsycInfo (EBSCO), alongside manual searching of reference lists. Using Covidence software, we screened titles and abstracts, followed by full-text articles. Data from the included articles were tabulated and summarised.

Of the 618 studies identified, 48 were included. The studies cover diverse clinical settings, and were mostly observational in design. 7 studies reporting adherence analyses within clinical trials for hypertension therapies. The use of theoretical frameworks to guide reporting was rare, and there was considerable variation in key terminology and definitions, most notably in the definition of adherence.

The current body of evidence demonstrates considerable variability in the approach to implementing CAT for hypertension management in clinical practice, and a paucity of randomised controlled trials to evaluate its impact. Future research could (i) adopt a cohesive theoretical framework including clear operational definitions to standardise the approach to this important topic; (ii) further explore the impact of CAT on clinical outcomes using RCTs.