A qualitative study of patients’ and carers’ perspectives on factors influencing access to hypertension care and compliance with treatment in Nigeria

Ukoha-Kalu, Blessing; Aibe, Maxwell O.; Ukwe, Chinwe V.

Abstract

Objective:
We explored patients’ and carers’ perspectives on factors influencing access to hypertension care and compliance with treatment.

Methods:
This was a qualitative study using in-depth interviews with hypertensive patients and/or family carers receiving care at a government-owned hospital in north-central Nigeria. Eligible participants were patients who had hypertension, receiving care in the study setting, were aged 55 years and over and had given their written/thumbprint consent to participate in the study. An interview topic guide was developed from the literature and through pretesting. All the interviews were held face-to-face by a member of the research team. This study was conducted between December 2019 and February 2020. NVivo version 12 was used to analyse the data.

Results:
A total of 25 patients and 13 family carers participated in this study. To understand the barriers to compliance with hypertension self-management practices, three themes were explored, namely: personal factors, family/societal factors and clinic/organization factors. Support was the key enabling factor for self-management practices, which were categorized to emerge from three sources namely: family members, community and government. Participants reported that they do not receive lifestyle management advice from healthcare professionals, and do not know the importance of eating low-salt diets/engaging in physical activities.

Conclusion:
Our findings show that study participants had little or no awareness of hypertension self-management practices. Providing financial support, free educational seminars, free blood pressure checks, and free medical care for the elderly could improve hypertension self-management practices among patients living with hypertension.

Citation

Ukoha-Kalu, B., Aibe, M. O., & Ukwe, C. V. (2023). A qualitative study of patients’ and carers’ perspectives on factors influencing access to hypertension care and compliance with treatment in Nigeria. Journal of Hypertension, 41(5), 845-851. https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000003409

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 10, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Mar 3, 2023
• Publication Date: May 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: May 5, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 4, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Hypertension
• Electronic ISSN: 1473-5598
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 845-851
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000003409
• Keywords: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine; Physiology; Internal Medicine
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/20286999
• Publisher URL: https://journals.lww.com/jhypertension/Abstract/2023/05000/A_qualitative_study_of_patients__and_carers_.19.aspx