The Process of Compliance with Self-Care among Patients with Hypertension: A Grounded Theory Study

Introduction: Controlling hypertension across world continues to be challenging. Managing hypertension is not only concerned with lowering blood pressure by using antihypertensive medications; it also aims to minimize its consequences through adopting self-care practices. Compliance with self-care practices among patients with hypertension is considered a multidimensional phenomenon. The phenomenon of hypertension has been studied quantitatively, however; little qualitative studies were conducted to understand the compliance with self-care among patients with hypertension. Aim: To understand the process that patients with hypertension go through to comply with self-care practices. Methods: This study used a qualitative design that followed constructivist grounded theory approach; purposive sampling was used to recruit participants from cardiac clinics; semi structured, in-depth and face-to-face interview was used as a major method for data collection. Findings: Four participants with hypertension participated in this study; the phenomena of self-care was identified as the central phenomena; the start of the disease was identified as a casual condition; beliefs toward hypertension disease, beliefs toward self-care practices, knowledge and awareness regarding hypertension disease and self-care practices were identified as strategies; experiencing self-care practices was identified as consequence and being patients with hypertension in a social context. Conclusions: The process of compliance with self-care has a path of actions and interactions. The process started from the moment of diagnosis where the patients start to think about self-care. The absence of health care context leads to varying level of compliance with self-care among patients with hypertension. This indicated the need for more effective patient and health care provider relationship, education and awareness campaign.