Relationship between home blood pressure measurement and medication compliance and name recognition of antihypertensive drugs.

This study examined the relationship of home blood pressure measurement to medication compliance and name recognition of antihypertensive drugs in outpatients with hypertension. A total of 1,452 consecutive outpatients (842 males, 610 females; mean age 65+/-11 yr) seeking care at our institute answered questions at our cardiovascular outpatient clinic such as whether they had a sphygmomanometer at home, how often they measured their blood pressure at home, and how often they missed taking their medication. Among a total of 777 patients on antihypertensive drugs who had a sphygmomanometer at home, 16 of the 242 patients (6.5%) who measured their home blood pressure every day occasionally missed taking their medication, whereas this number was 22 for the 216 patients (10.1%) who measured their home blood pressure several times a week, 16 for the 146 patients (11.0%) who measured their home blood pressure several times a month, and 25 for the 173 patients (14.5%) who never measured their home blood pressure (p< 0.01 between patients who measured their home blood pressure every day and those who did not measure their home blood pressure). Among a total of 271 patients taking one or two antihypertensive drugs, the number of patients who could name their antihypertensive drugs was 47 of the 86 patients (55%) who measured their home blood pressure every day, 43 of the 78 patients (55%) who measured their home blood pressure several times a week, 24 of the 41 patients (58%) who measured their home blood pressure several times a month, and 22 of the 66 patients (33%) who never measured their home blood pressure (p< 0.02). In conclusion, medication compliance and antihypertensive drug name recognition were better in patients who measured their home blood pressure than in patients who did not measure their home blood pressure. From these results, we conclude that physicians should recommend home blood pressure measurement to patients being treated with antihypertensive drugs, because there is a possibility that home blood pressure measurement might improve medication compliance.