Author(s)

Charity Gikunda^*, Lucy Gitonga, Paul Kamweru

Chuka University, Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya.

Background: Non-adherence to hypertensive medication continues to become a contributing factor to hypertensive complications like stroke, heart attacks, kidney disease heart failure. Associated factors to non-adherence are complex, are both internal and external to the patient and are difficult to extrapolate. Reports from Chuka referral hospital records showed that in 2016 there were 140 patients with hypertensive complications from 560 patients who attended the medical clinic that year. Objective: This study sought to explore the patient’s related factors that are associated with non-adherence to hypertension medication. Methods: This is a descriptive study design of (N = 575) people among them doctors, pharmacists, nurses, record officers and hypertension patients. Simple random sampling for patients (n = 81) and census sampling for health care workers was done and data collected using questionnaires and interview schedules between April 4^th-May 30^th 2019. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis, aided by SPSS version 25. Results: 64% of the patients stated that they had missed medication. A significant negative correlation (r_pb = -0.23, p < 0.05) between age and non-adherence, significant positive correlation with monthly income (r_pb = 0.24, p < 0.04), non-significant relationship between non-adherence and marital status (r_pb = -0.13, p = 0.25) and patients’ level of education (r_pb = -0.06, p = 0.57). The overall model of health system related factors were found to be significant (p < 0.05) and this included; quality of health service, physician patient relationship, stock out, health education, and availability of medicine (p = 0.012). Conclusion: Lacks of funds, unavailability of drugs are the leading factors to regimen completion. This could be easily be addressed by the government.

Hypertension, Non-Adherence, Medication, Inhibiting Factors, High Blood Pressure, Patients Characteristics

Gikunda, C. , Gitonga, L. and Kamweru, P. (2021) Patient and Health System Related Factors Associated with Non-Adherence to Antihypertensive Medication among Patients at Chuka Referral Hospital, Kenya. Open Journal of Clinical Diagnostics, 11, 19-46. doi: 10.4236/ojcd.2021.112002.