The Relationship Among Medication Adherence, Rational Medication Use, and Health Literacy in Elderly Patients with Hypertension

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the predictive relationship between rational drug use and health literacy in the medication adherence of elderly hypertensive patients. Method: The research was conducted with a predictive-correlation design on elderly hypertension patients who applied to the cardiology outpatient clinic of a training and research hospital between January 1, 2024 and February 1, 2025. The study population consisted of elderly patients with hypertension, and a sample of 370 patients who met the inclusion criteria was selected. Data were collected using the “Patient Information Form,” the “Rational Medication Use Scale,” the “Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale,” and the “Health Literacy Scale.” Descriptive statistics and robust regression analysis were used in the analysis of the data. Results: The average age of the participants was 70.00 ± 5.16 years, with 53.5% of them being female and 43.3% having attended primary school. The mean score of the “Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale” was 39.77±9.20, the “Rational Medication Use Scale” was 33.87±3.75, and the “Health Literacy Scale” was 26.02±8.45. A one-unit increase in the Rational Medication Use Scale score was associated with a 0.240-unit increase in the Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale score (p<0.05). Similarly, a one-unit increase in the Health Literacy Scale score was associated with a 0.288-unit increase in the Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale score (p<0.05). Conclusion: The study determined that medication adherence in elderly hypertensive patients is predicted by rational medication use and health literacy. As rational medication use and health literacy increased, medication adherence improved among elderly individuals