Association Between Patient‐Clinician Relationships and Adherence to Antihypertensive Medications Among Black Adults: An Observational Study Design

BACKGROUND: We assessed the associations between patient‐clinician relationships (communication and involvement in shared decision‐making [SDM]) and adherence to antihypertensive medications. METHODS AND RESULTS: The 2010 to 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data were analyzed. A retrospective cohort study design was used to create a cohort of prevalent and new users of antihypertensive medications. We defined constructs of patient‐clinician communication and involvement in SDM from patient responses to the standard questionnaires about satisfaction and access to care during the first year of surveys. Verified self‐reported medication refill information collected during the second year of surveys was used to calculate medication refill adherence; adherence was defined as medication refill adherence ≥80%. Survey‐weighted multivariable‐adjusted logistic regression models were used to measure the odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI for the association between both patient‐clinician constructs and adherence. Our analysis involved 2571 Black adult patients with hypertension (mean age of 58 years; SD, 14 years) who were either persistent (n=1788) or new users (n=783) of antihypertensive medications. Forty‐five percent (n=1145) and 43% (n=1016) of the sample reported having high levels of communication and involvement in SDM, respectively. High, versus low, patient‐clinician communication (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.14–1.67) and involvement in SDM (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.08–1.61) were both associated with adherence to antihypertensives after adjusting for multiple covariates. These associations persisted among a subgroup of new users of antihypertensive medications. CONCLUSIONS: Patient‐clinician communication and involvement in SDM are important predictors of optimal adherence to antihypertensive medication and should be targeted for improving adherence among Black adults with hypertension.