INTRODUCTION: Ten years of publications (1984-1993) about drug compliance in spanish hypertensive patients are presented. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A bibliography search of Medline (EBSCO CD-ROM ver 104.1, act Jul 1995), Indice Médico Español (CSIC CD-ROM, act Oct 1993) and other sources has been made. RESULTS: 39 articles have been located and 23 investigational publications have been analysed. All the publications, but one, have evaluated the compliance by an indirect method, mainly patient selfdeclaration. The degree of patient compliance determined by interviews, questionnaires or inquiries is 55.5% (IC 95%: 52.7-58.3). The patient compliance in the publications that use methods based in pill counts is 46.4% (IC 95%: 41.6-51.2). The treatment dropout is present in the 18.5% of the patients (IC 95%: 20.5-16.5). CONCLUSIONS: The drug compliance degree in Spanish patients with hypertension is low.
INTRODUCTION: Ten years of publications (1984-1993) about drug compliance in spanish hypertensivepatients are presented. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A bibliography search of Medline (EBSCO CD-ROM ver 104.1, act Jul 1995), Indice Médico Español (CSIC CD-ROM, act Oct 1993) and other sources has been made. RESULTS: 39 articles have been located and 23 investigational publications have been analysed. All the publications, but one, have evaluated the compliance by an indirect method, mainly patient selfdeclaration. The degree of patient compliance determined by interviews, questionnaires or inquiries is 55.5% (IC 95%: 52.7-58.3). The patient compliance in the publications that use methods based in pill counts is 46.4% (IC 95%: 41.6-51.2). The treatment dropout is present in the 18.5% of the patients (IC 95%: 20.5-16.5). CONCLUSIONS: The drug compliance degree in Spanish patients with hypertension is low.