The Effect of the Quality of Doctor-Patient Relationship on Medical Adherence in Patients with Hypertension in Tehran Heart Center, Iran

Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Recent studies showed the effect of various factors on medical adherence in hypertension. This study aimed to determine the effect of the quality of doctor-patient relationship on medical adherence in patients with hypertension.
In this cross-sectional study, conducted in Tehran Heart Center, Iran, 62 patients with essential hypertension recruited via convenience sampling method. Data were collected using Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised (WAI-SR) and Medication Adherence Self-efficacy Scale (MASES) instruments, and analyzed in SPSS software using the multivariate linear regression model.
Findings: The effect of doctor-patient relationship quality on medical adherence was statistically significant with moderate effect size, R2 = 0.234, F(3, 58) = 5.996, P = 0.002, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.045-0.402. Among the components of Working Alliance Inventory, there was no evidence of a statistically significant effect on medical adherence, except for tasks, t(58) = 2.425, P = 0.023, 95% CI = 0.787-9.621.
Results of the study provided promising evidence regarding the role of the therapeutic relationship in medical adherence.