The Relationship Between Health Literacy, Disease Perception and Medication Adherence in Patients with Heart Failure

Objective: This study investigated the relationship between health literacy levels, disease perception, and medication adherence in patients with heart failure.Methods: This study adopted a descr iptiv e-cor relat ional research design.It was conducted between August 1, 2021, and March 30, 2022.The sample consisted of 165 patients treated at a university hospital for heart failure.Data were collected by the researcher using a Personal Information Form, the Health Literacy Scale (HLS), the Brief Illness Perception Scale (BIPS), the Medication Compliance Reporting Scale (MCRS), and a face-to-face survey method.Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Pearson Correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.Results: Participants had a mean age of 61.40 ± 2.07 years.Most participants were married (90.3%).Over half of the participants were women (59.4%).Participants had a mean HLS score of 87.67 ± 18.59, a mean BIPS score of 43.76 ± 9.03, and a mean MCRS score of 22.84 ± 3.03.There was a moderate negative correlation between HLS and BIPS scores.There was a moderate positive correlation between HLS and MCRS scores (P < 0.01).Conclusion: Participants had low health literacy levels, medication compliance, and disease perception.However, they had positive attitudes toward medication compliance and disease perception.It is recommended to plan experimental studies to increase the health literacy levels and awareness of patients with heart failure.