Improving compliance among hypertensive patients: a reflection on the role of patient education

Abstract

Hypertension is an important health problem in virtually all parts of the world. It is estimated that the disease affects over 60 million people in Britain and America. One key challenge in the management of the condition is the difficulty in achieving optimum patient compliance with treatment necessary to guarantee successful long-term therapy. The growing scarcity of health care resources demands that maximum benefits are derived from every given expenditure. This is in keeping with the strive towards efficiency in health care delivery—a key component of the recent reforms of the National Health Service (NHS). This paper presents a brief review of non-compliance to prescribed treatment and health behaviours by hypertensive patients and examines the need to improve compliance through effective patient education. The objective is to draw attention to, and encourage debate on, this important health issue with a view to enhancing efficiency in the use of health care resources.

Key words:

• compliance
• hypertension
• patient education
• health education
• health promotion
• efficiency