In hypertensive patients, the odds of poor medication adherence are greater when patient-provider interactions are low in patient centeredness and do not address patients’ sociodemographic circumstances or their medication regimen, a recent study found. The cohort study included 93 hypertensive patients and 27 providers in 3 safety-net primary care practices in New York City and evaluated the impact of patient-provider communication on medication adherence among a sample of primary care providers and their black and white hypertensive patients. Researchers found:

• 58% of patients exhibited poor medication adherence to prescribed antihypertensive medications.
• Key features of patient-provider communication that were associated with poor medication adherence included lower patient centeredness (OR, 3.08), less discussion about their socioeconomic circumstances (OR, 6.03), and about their antihypertensive medications (OR, 6.48).
• Discussion about patients’ social circumstances was an even stronger predictor of medication adherence among black patients.