Relationship between patients’ knowledge and medication adherence among patients with hypertension

Beata Jankowska-Polańska,1 Izabella Uchmanowicz,1 Krzysztof Dudek,2 Grzegorz Mazur3 1Department of Clinical Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University, 2Department of Transport Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Technology, 3Department and Clinic of Internal and Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between knowledge on arterial hypertension (AH) and its management, and adherence to pharmaceutical treatment. Methods: The study included 233 patients diagnosed with AH and treated with hypotensive drugs for at least 1 year. The 8-item © Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) and the Hypertension Knowledge-Level Scale (HK-LS) were used.Results: Sixty-three percent of the patients had a low level of knowledge on AH, with the smallest proportion of correct answers provided for items related to non-pharmaceutical treatment, diet, hypertension definition, and drug adherence. When compared to patients with a high level of knowledge, those with a low knowledge had lower scores in the MMAS (6.45±1.45 vs 7.08±1.04; P=0.038). Multiple-factor analysis showed that statistically significant independent determinants of good adherence included a high level of knowledge (β=0.208; P=0.001), non-pharmaceutical treatment (β=0.182; P=0.006), and frequent blood pressure measurements (β=0.183; P=0.004). The most significant factor in MMAS was knowledge in the “drug adherence” domain (ρ=0.303; P<0.001). Conclusion: Patients’ knowledge on hypertension is a significant independent determinant of good adherence. Other independent determinants include non-pharmaceutical treatment and regular blood pressure measurements.Implication for practice: The identification of knowledge deficits as a factor contributing to lack of adherence and poor hypertension control remains a key challenge for multidisciplinary team caring for patients with hypertension. Keywords: medication adherence, arterial hypertension, medical knowledg

Sex differences in the quality of life of patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention after a 3-year follow-up

Beata Jankowska-Polańska,1 Izabella Uchmanowicz,1 Krzysztof Dudek,2 Krystyna Łoboz-Grudzień1,3 1Department of Clinical Nursing, Wrocław Medical University, 2Department of Logistics and Transport Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wrocław University of Technology, 3Cardiology Unit, T Marciniak Lower Silesian Specialist Hospital, Emergency Medicine Centre, Wrocław, Poland Background: The aims of this study were to analyze the dynamics of quality of life (QoL) changes after 36 months from the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) depending on sex and identify baseline predictors of the follow-up QoL of patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and subjected to PCI.Methods and results: The study included 137 patients, females (n=67) and males (n=70), with ACS who underwent PCI. The QoL was assessed using the MacNew Heart Disease Health-Related Quality of Life questionnaire. The group of females scored lower in all the domains of the MacNew Heart Disease Health-Related Quality of Life questionnaire in the initial measurement (B1), in the measurement after 6 months (B2), and in the long-term follow-up measurement (36 months – B3). Despite the fact that both groups achieved improved QoL, its values were higher in the males. The average growth rate of the QoL score in the period from the sixth month to 36th month was higher in females than in males. In the univariate and multivariate analyses, significant independent predictors with a negative influence on the long-term QoL score included female sex (Ρ=−0.190, β=−0.21), age >60 years (Ρ=−0.255, β=−0.186), and diabetes (Ρ=−0.216, β=−0.216).Conclusion: In a 36-month follow-up of ACS patients treated with PCI, there were no statistically significant differences in QoL between sexes. In the entire cohort, there was improvement in QoL, which was higher in the case of the females studied. For the entire group, significant independent determinants of lower QoL 3 years after ACS included female sex, age >60 years, and diabetes. Keywords: quality of life, percutaneous coronary intervention, sex difference

Cognitive deficits and self-care behaviors in elderly adults with heart failure

Izabella Uchmanowicz,1 Beata Jankowska-Polańska,1 Grzegorz Mazur,2 Erika Sivarajan Froelicher3,4 1Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; 2Department and Clinic of Internal and Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; 3Department of Physiological Nursing, School of Nursing; 4Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA Introduction: Elderly adults with heart failure (HF) may have problems with self-care behaviors because of cognitive deficits. Self-care deficits have been found to be significantly associated with negative health care outcomes among HF patients. The aim of this paper was to assess cognitive deficits and the level of self-care ability in elderly patients with HF, and to determine if a relationship exists between cognitive deficits and self-care. Materials and methods: The study included 270 elderly patients (mean age: 72.5 years) with HF. We used the Mini Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE) to evaluate cognitive functioning, and the European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale, revised into a nine-item scale (EHFScBS-9), to evaluate self-care behaviors. Associations between the variables were examined using multiple regression analysis. Results: Lower scores in both MMSE and EHFScBS-9 questionnaires were correlated with older age, living alone, lower education, longer duration of illness, higher number of rehospitalizations, as well as lower left ventricular ejection fraction and higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. The multiple regression analysis was used for evaluation of the impact of the following predictors: MMSE score, age, duration of illness, ejection fraction, number of hospitalizations, sex, residence, education, relationship status, and NYHA class on EHFScBS-9 score. Conclusions: Elderly patients with HF may have worse self-care behaviors because of their cognitive deficits. Age was the strongest predictor of worse MMSE scores. Multidisciplinary health teams should pay attention to the special needs of elderly patients who live with their illness for many years and have no social support because of living alone. Keywords: self-care behaviors, aging car

Selected factors affecting adherence in the pharmacological treatment of arterial hypertension

Beata Jankowska-Polańska,1 Anna Chudiak,1 Izabella Uchmanowicz,1 Krzysztof Dudek,2 Grzegorz Mazur3 1Department of Clinical Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University, 2Department of Logistics and Transport Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Technology, 3Department and Clinic of Internal and Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Background: Low adherence to hypertension (HT) management is one of the major contributors to poor blood pressure (BP) control. Approximately 40%–60% of patients with HT do not follow the prescribed treatment. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between selected variables and adherence to hypotensive pharmacological treatment. Besides socioclinical variables, the study focused on the role of illness acceptance.Participants and methods: The study included 602 patients with HT. Adherence and acceptance of illness were assessed using the following validated instruments: the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS).Results: The high-adherence group comprised a significantly higher percentage of patients with high illness acceptance scale scores than that of patients with low-to-moderate scores (42.4 vs 31.8%; P=0.008<0.01). The odds ratio (OR) showed that high adherence to pharmacological treatment was >1.5 times as likely to occur in the high acceptance group as in the low-to-moderate acceptance group (OR =1.58, 95% CI 1.14–2.19). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients showed statistically significant correlations between adherence and sex (men ρ=–0.101; P=0.012), age >45–66 years (ρ=0.098; P=0.015), higher education level (ρ=0.132; P=0.001), grade ESC of HT (ρ=–0.037; P=0.057), receiving one-tablet polytherapy (ρ=0.131; P=0.015), and illness acceptance (ρ=0.090; P=0.024).Conclusion: Acceptance of illness is correlated with adherence to pharmacological treatment, and consideration should be given to more widespread assessment of illness acceptance in daily practice. Male sex, age >45–66 years, duration of illness grade ESC of HT, and receiving one-tablet polytherapy are significant determinants of adherence to pharmacological treatment in HT. Keywords: adherence, hypertensive treatment, illness acceptance &nbsp

The influence of frailty syndrome on medication adherence among elderly patients with hypertension

Beata Jankowska-Polańska,1 Krzysztof Dudek,2 Anna Szymanska-Chabowska,3 Izabella Uchmanowicz1 1Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, 2Department of Logistic and Transport Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Technology, 3Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases, Hypertension and Clinical Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Background: Hypertension affects about 80% of people older than 80 years; however, diagnosis and treatment are difficult because about 55% of them do not adhere to treatment recommendations due to low socioeconomic status, comorbidities, age, physical limitations, and frailty syndrome.Aims: The purposes of this study were to evaluate the influence of frailty on medication adherence among elderly hypertensive patients and to assess whether other factors influence adherence in this group of patients.Methods and results: The study included 296 patients (mean age 68.8±8.0) divided into frail (n=198) and non-frail (n=98) groups. The Polish versions of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) for frailty assessment and 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale for adherence assessment were used. The frail patients had lower medication adherence in comparison to the non-frail subjects (6.60±1.89 vs 7.11±1.42; P=0.028). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients showed that significant determinants with negative influence on the level of adherence were physical (rho =-0.117), psychological (rho =-0.183), and social domain (rho =-0.163) of TFI as well as the total score of the questionnaire (rho =-0.183). However, multiple regression analysis revealed that only knowledge about complications of untreated hypertension (β=0.395) and satisfaction with the home environment (β=0.897) were found to be independent stimulants of adherence level.Conclusion: Frailty is highly prevalent among elderly hypertensive patients. Higher level of frailty among elderly patients can be considered as a determinant of lower adherence. However, social support and knowledge about complications of untreated hypertension are the most important independent determinants of adherence to pharmacological treatment. Keywords: frailty syndrome, ageing, hypertension, medication adherence, geriatric syndrom

Histological subtype of lung cancer affects acceptance of illness, severity of pain, and quality of life

Jacek Polański,1 Mariusz Chabowski,2,3 Beata Jankowska-Polańska,4 Dariusz Janczak,2,3 Joanna Rosińczuk5,6 1Lower Silesian Oncology Center, Home Hospice, Wroclaw, Poland; 2Division of Surgical Procedures, Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; 3Department of Surgery, 4th Military Teaching Hospital, Wroclaw, Poland; 4Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; 5Department of Nervous System Diseases, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; 6Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Introduction: Histologic classification of lung cancer plays an important role in clinical practice. Two main histological subtype of lung cancer: small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) differ in terms of invasiveness, response to treatment, and risk factors, among others.Aims: To evaluate differences in acceptance of illness, level of perceived pain, and quality of life (QoL) between patients with SCLC and NSCLC.Materials and methods: Two hundred and fifty-seven lung cancer patients, who were treated in 2015, completed Acceptance of Illness Scale, Visual Analog Scale for pain, and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 30-item Core Quality of Life Questionnaire and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 13-item Lung Cancer specific Quality of Life Questionnaire. Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected. For statistical analysis, the Student t-test and the Mann–Whitney U test were used. For comparisons among three or more groups, analysis of variance was employed.Results: Patients with SCLC had significantly worse health as measured with the presence of metastases, parameters of lung function, comorbidities, and number of previous hospitalizations. The Acceptance of Illness Scale score and Visual Analog Scale score were significantly worse in patients with SCLC than in those with NSCLC (24.58±8.73 vs 27.05±9.06; p=0.046 and 4.81±2.01 vs 4.17±1.97; p=0.003). Patients with SCLC achieved worse scores of all aspects of QoL than patients with NSCLC. Comparison with the reference values showed that all dimensions of functioning are impaired in patients with lung cancer regardless of its type; only the role functioning in patients with NSCLC remains unaffected.Conclusion: Monitoring of QoL, personalized approach to treatment, and interventions for symptom management should be conducted in a tailored manner. Socioeconomic status in lung cancer patients, especially those suffering from SCLC, needs to be addressed. Keywords: Acceptance of Illness Scale, Visual Analog Scale for pain, lung cancer, quality of life, QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LC1

Psychometric evaluation of the Polish version of the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) in adults with hypertension

Katarzyna Lomper,1 Mariusz Chabowski,2 Anna Chudiak,1 Artur Białoszewski,3 Krzysztof Dudek,4 Beata Jankowska-Polańska1 1Division of Nursing of Internal Diseases, Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland; 2Division of Surgical Procedures, Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland; 3Department of Prevention of Environmental Hazards and Allergology, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland; 4Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland Background: Only 50%–75% of chronically ill patients take their medication as prescribed. The patient is found to adhere to treatment correctly and optimally if they accomplish 80% or more of the treatment plan. A questionnaire titled the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) has been used in studies involving various populations and proved to be a simple instrument for measuring adherence, with good psychometric properties. Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a Polish version of the ARMS (ARMS-P), an instrument that identifies levels of adherence in the hypertensive population, and evaluate its psychometric properties. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 279 patients, including 166 females (mean age 66.5 years), hospitalized between September 2016 and March 2017 in the Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases, and Hypertension of Wroclaw Medical University, Poland. The 12-item ARMS was translated from English into Polish. The 12 items included in the final questionnaire comprise two subscales: adherence to taking medications (eight items) and adherence to refilling prescriptions (four items). Results: Patients in the good-adherence group were younger (P=0.017; P=0.048), more likely to be professionally active (P=0.041), better educated (P=0.037), and more likely to have normal blood pressure (P<0.001). They also measured their blood pressure more often (P<0.001), and took fewer pills in a day (P<0.001). Adherent patients were also more likely to take their medication on their own (P=0.016) and read information leaflets on the medication (P<0.001). The study demonstrated that the ARMS-P questionnaire has good psychometric properties that enable its use for assessing adherence in chronically ill patients, including in particular, patients with hypertension. Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the questionnaire are satisfactory (reliability measured by means of Cronbach’s α). The ARMS-P questionnaire proved to be suitable for use in the Polish population. The use of this screening tool for the assessment of adherence to treatment is recommended in this population of hypertensive patients. Keywords: adherence, 12-item ARMS, questionnaire, hypertensio