Effects on hypertensive patients’ satisfaction with information about their medication after nurses’ consultation training

BACKGROUND: There is a well-known problem in hypertension care with patients’ adherence to treatment. Patients who score high in answering the instrument Satisfaction with Information about Medicine Scale are reported to have greater adherence to their medication. AIM: To explore how hypertensive patients’ satisfaction with information about their medicines was affected by nurses’ education in Motivational Interviewing. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Stages of Change model and Motivational Interviewing was the theoretical base for consultation training for nurses. Nineteen nurses attended 3 days of video-recorded consultation training with simulated patients. They were updated in hypertensive medication and were trained in motivating patients to improve their self-management as well as adherence to lifestyle changes and medication. The satisfaction with information instrument identifies patients’ satisfaction with information about the action and usage of medication as well as potential problems with it. The instrument was used to assess how well the needs of individual patients for medicine information were met at baseline and 2 years after the training. The 19 trained nurses in the intervention group worked with 137 patients, and a control group of 16 nurses, who gave normal care, worked with 51 patients. RESULTS: There was a difference between the intervention and control group in total score (P=0.028) 2 years after the intervention. Patients in the intervention group perceived higher satisfaction with the action and usage of their medication (P=0.001) and a lower degree of potential problems with their medication (P=0.001). Patients in the control group also perceived a lower degree of potential problems with their medication (P=0.028). CONCLUSION: We suggest that consultation training for nurses with the aim of motivating patients to be more self-directed in their self-care improves satisfaction with information about medication.