Improving Adherence to Hypertensive Medication by Utilizing a Smartphone Application in African Americans

Paper approved May 2022 by the faculty of UMKC in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice ; The global burden of hypertension has impacted the lives of millions. A significant factor contributing to inadequate hypertension management is non-adherence to hypertension therapy. Adherence to hypertension medication decreases to less than 50% one year after initiation of pharmacotherapy. Non-adherence to medication for hypertension causes multiple organ damage. This pilot, quasi-experimental, quality improvement project focused on improving medication adherence in patients with hypertension by utilizing a smartphone application. This project was implemented in an outpatient community clinic in Kansas City, Missouri and included 19 patients. The Hill-Bone Medication Adherence scale assessed participant medication adherence behavior pre-and post-intervention. The results showed statistically significant improvement in medication adherence and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p < .001) in 12 weeks. With 97% of the population possessing a cellphone, the health application intervention has excellent potential for improving medication adherence in chronic conditions such as hypertension.