Adherence to Treatment and Level of Satisfaction Among Saudi Hypertensive Patients: A Multi-City Study

Eid H Alshahrani; Reham S Aljohani; Angham A Sahli; Wejdan S Alruwaili; Ibrahim A Almohini; Hind Almodaimegh

doi:10.7759/cureus.20189

Adherence to Treatment and Level of Satisfaction Among Saudi Hypertensive Patients: A Multi-City Study

Cureus. 2021 Dec 5;13(12):e20189. doi: 10.7759/cureus.20189. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Authors

Eid H Alshahrani¹, Reham S Aljohani², Angham A Sahli³, Wejdan S Alruwaili⁴, Ibrahim A Almohini⁵, Hind Almodaimegh⁶

Affiliations

¹ Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, King Abdullah Hospital, Ministry of Health, Bisha, SAU.
² Pediatrics, King Abdullah Specialized Children Hospital, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, SAU.
³ Internal Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, SAU.
⁴ Ophthalmology, King Khaled Hospital, Ministry of Health, Hail, SAU.
⁵ General Surgery, Prince Salman bin Mohammed Hospital, Ministry of Health, Al-Dilam, SAU.
⁶ Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center/King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, SAU.

Abstract

Background and objective Hypertension (HTN) is a common disease among patients who visit primary healthcare clinics. Uncontrolled HTN is associated with increased morbidity and mortality; therefore, awareness of its risk factors and adherence to treatment can lead to better control of HTN. In this study, we aimed to determine the level of adherence to treatment and satisfaction among Saudi hypertensive patients. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we used an interviewer-administered questionnaire among hypertensive patients aged 40 years or older who attended primary healthcare centers in the five main regions within Saudi Arabia. We excluded patients with mental disorders, dementia, or those unable to provide consent to participate. The estimated sample size was 384 patients as calculated by Raosoft® based on the AlNozha study (prevalence of HTN in Saudi Arabia is 26.1%). The questionnaire included questions about demographic data, awareness about HTN risk factors and complications, adherence to treatment, and patient satisfaction along with the information related to management from their physicians. Microsoft Excel was used for data entry, and SPSS Statistics version 23 (IBM, Armonk, NY) was used for statistical analysis. Results Of the 384 hypertensive patients recruited, most were in the age group of 40-49 years (36.5%), and the majority of them were female (75%). Most patients (n=305, 79.4%) reported good adherence to the management plan. Also, most of the patients (73.4%) were satisfied in terms of receiving simplified information and justification of the management plan from their physicians. Conclusions A good level of satisfaction was observed among patients of HTN in Saudi Arabia with respect to information, simplification, and justification of treatment plans provided by health professionals. This high satisfaction level accounts for the high adherence to the treatment plan.

Keywords: adherence; blood pressure control; high blood pressure; hypertension; patients' satisfaction; saudi arabia.