Increasing Medication Adherence in Hypertensive Patients With Million Hearts® Health Literacy Program
Abstract
Healthy People 2020 identified hypertension (HTN) as a controllable risk factor to prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke. Adhering to regular antihypertensive (AHT) medications improves outcomes in patients diagnosed with HTN by controlling blood pressure, reducing hospital visits, and promoting patient wellness. Medication adherence occurs when prescribed medicine regimens are utilized by the patient as directed to manage illness or disease, as evidenced by patients receiving medications at their pharmacy. The practice-focused question for this quality improvement project asked whether implementation of health literacy tools from Million Hearts -® HTN Control: Action Steps for Clinicians, increased medication adherence as evidenced by regular medication pickups by adult hypertensive patients. Additionally, this project provided an assessment to identify the patient's current health literacy level using the Newest Vital Sign. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve health literacy about AHT medications to increase medication adherence in adults diagnosed with HTN. The logic model allowed for communication of resources, activities, and guidance during project implementation. Data related to medication pickups from adult participants, 1 male and 4 females aged 21-76, were analyzed using descriptive statistics via percent difference pre-post program. Results showed an 80% rate of medication adherence, however increased medication adherence was not achieved. Results also revealed a knowledge deficit in 20% of participants indicating they were unaware they had been prescribed combination AHT medication to control their blood pressure, and not knowing their most recent blood pressure results, or how their specific AHT medication regimen worked at controlling their HTN needs. These findings could lead to exploring additional underlying factors that impede medication adherence such as income, medication cost, insurance cost, and transportation needs. This project supports the need for health literacy to be addressed to improve knowledge and understanding about HTN, and implied the need to address the problem of low health literacy in patients with HTN. Implications for nursing practice include health literacy tools for community-based ambulatory clinics to influence medication adherence and self-care management of adults with HTN. Positive social change was demonstrated by providing health literacy to adult HTN population to improve medication adherence thus reducing health risk.
