Factors associated with medication non-adherence among patients with heart failure.
Jannaína Gomes de Lima, Alba Lucia Bottura Leite de Barros, Juliana de Lima Lopes
PMID 39230133WHAT IT FOUND
In 340 heart failure outpatients, most adhered to medication.
Non-adherence was associated with worse self-care, depression, alcohol use, and lower family income. These factors can guide assessment and support.
Key findings
01In 340 patients with heart failure, 308 were adherent and 32 were non-adherent.
02Alcohol consumption and depression were associated with 3.493 and 3.695 times higher non-adherence prevalence.
03Each one-unit higher self-care score was associated with an 8% higher non-adherence prevalence, and family income above three times the minimum wage was associated with a non-adherence prevalence equal to 3.5% of that among those with up to one minimum wage.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that self-care, income, depression, or alcohol use caused non-adherence. It was done in one outpatient clinic, so it may not apply to hospitalized patients or other settings. The non-adherent group was small, with 32 patients. The adherence questionnaire was not previously checked in people with heart failure, and its reliability score was 0.65. Participants were recruited from one outpatient appointment schedule, and the pilot used a convenient sample.
Declared interests
Funded by CNPq, Brazil, grant #309586/2021-6.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that depression, alcohol use, poor self-care, or low income cause medication non-adherence. The study measured these associations at one point in time in one outpatient clinic, so it cannot show cause.