Adherence and persistence with a focus on the treatment of hypertensive patients

Insufficient adherence of patients to treatment is a serious problem and it is monitored most frequently in hypertensive patients. The possibilities of increasing adherence to long-term treatment include mainly the motivation and education of patients, simple dosage regimes, telephone consultations and involving the patient in the treatment process (self-monitoring), but it also means providing information about the consequences of failure to adhere to the treatment process. Other possibilities can include new dosage forms which increase the biological availability of medicines, reduce the variability of absorption, and thus allow for achieving their more stable levels. It is possible to take advantage of fixed combinations which can improve adherence. Some new dosage forms simplify the therapy for patients and make it more pleasant. One of the latest innovations is for example, orodispersible dosage forms, which have been recently introduced in the therapy of arterial hypertension. In order to improve the adherence of patients to hypertension treatment it is necessary to use all means available adjusted to the individual needs of patients.

Keywords: adherence; persistence; hypertension; orodispersible tablets