October 7, 2021Open Access
Medication Adherence and Blood Pressure Control: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Key Result
This scientific statement summarizes the current knowledge on medication nonadherence in hypertension, including measurement methods, risk factors, and strategies for improvement.
Structured PICO
P
Population
Patients with hypertension
E
Exposure
Strategies for improving adherence to antihypertensive medications
O
Outcome
Blood pressure control
This AHA scientific statement highlights the critical role of medication adherence in achieving population blood pressure control goals and outlines strategies for improvement.
Abstract
The widespread treatment of hypertension and resultant improvement in blood pressure have been major contributors to the dramatic age-specific decline in heart disease and stroke. Despite this progress, a persistent gap remains between stated public health targets and achieved blood pressure control rates. Many factors may be important contributors to the gap between population hypertension control goals and currently observed control levels. Among them is the extent to which patients adhere to prescribed treatment. The goal of this scientific statement is to summarize the current state of knowledge of the contribution of medication nonadherence to the national prevalence of poor blood pressure control, methods for measuring medication adherence and their associated challenges, risk factors for antihypertensive medication nonadherence, and strategies for improving adherence to antihypertensive medications at both the individual and health system levels.