Illness Remission: Anathema to Compliance with Hypertensive Therapy

Background: Hypertension is a chronic and persisting illness that can be difficult to treat. The success of management of hypertension depends on adherence to the treatment regimen. The objective of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators to compliance with hypertensive drug treatment among patients in Nigeria. Method: Twenty hypertensive patients were purposively selected and participated in in-depth interviews where their experiences with hypertensive treatments were explored. Interview sessions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim and imported into Nvivo. Data was analysed using content analysis. Results: Four interrelated themes explain barriers to full compliance among to treatment among hypertensive patients as follows: (i) Temporary remission of symptoms, (ii) Dissatisfaction with Service, (iii) Navigating the Health Care Services, and (iv) Desire for Improved Functionality. Conclusion: This study concluded that lack of understanding of the chronical nature of hypertension hinders the participants from complying with treatment. It also identified inaccessible and poor quality services as a barrier to seeking treatment while the desire to regain functionality serves as a significant impetus for continuing with the treatment. Therefore, health professionals should endeavour to provide adequate health education on compliance with treatment while government should provide quality and affordable hypertensive care to citizens