El reto de evaluar la adherencia al tratamiento en la hipertensión arterial

Abstract

In spite of the advances made in the detection, treatment and control of arterial hypertension, this continues
to be a significant public health problem in the world today. Its high level of prevalence, the morbi-mortality
associated with it, and the cost of its complications indicate a great need for it to be controlled. Although
pharmacological treatment has proved to be effective, low adherence has been reported in these hyper tense
patients, which prevents it from having the desired effect. For the control of hyper tension it is also necessary
for patients to adhere to recommendations regarding changes in their life style, which becomes even more
problematical given the inherent difficulty in behavioral change. It is essential to know the reasons for a
patient not adhering to treatment, to be able to design and redirect interventions which would seek to improve
the adherence to pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment. For this to be done, it is necessary to
adequately measure adherence, nevertheless the measuring instruments available at the moment are extremely
limited. Improving the forms of evaluating adherence has become a challenge for public health which must be
urgently attended to, and in which psychology has much to contribute. This article presents a critical review
of the problem of adherence to arterial hypertension treatment and proposes guidelines and alternatives for its
adequate evaluation in Colombia.