Abstract Successful blood pressure (BP) control requires good adherence to medication and
specific health-related behaviors. However, the BP control rate is not optimal, and limited
research has focused on the patient’s perspective. This study aimed at investigating the illness
perceptions of hypertensive patients and how they relate to drug adherence. One hundred and
seventeen hypertensive patients enrolled in this study, and data were collected in a family
physician clinic of a medical center located in northern Taiwan. The Illness Perception Questionnaire
was administered, and medication adherence and demographic data were also
collected. Results showed the patients’ perceptions of their hypertension, that it was a chronically
severe but stable disease, and the patients were confident in the effectiveness of
medical treatments and their ability to control their disease. The participants were divided
into three clusters by cluster analysis. There were 46.15% participants in the first cluster; they
had less negative belief in their illness consequence and less negative emotional responses, but
a low personal sense of control. The second cluster (11.97%) had more negative emotional
responses and more negative beliefs in their illness consequence, but these individuals scored
highly on their personal sense of control and treatment control beliefs. The third cluster
(41.88%) had scores between clusters 1 and 2. Cluster 1 had the best drug adherence, and
cluster 2 had the worst drug adherence (c2 Z 7.67, p < 0.05). It may be beneficial for clinical
physicians to pay attention to patients’ illness perceptions, including their negative emotional
response and symptoms, in order to improve their drug adherence.
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