Is Beliefs About Medication a Factor in Adherence to the Medicine in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angioplasty?

Objectives: There are some side effects such as the restenosis of the coronary artery resulted from the failure to follow the medication regimen. Considering that patients' beliefs have a great role in their lifestyle, this study aimed at investigating the relationship between beliefs in medication and self-reported medication adherence in patients with coronary angioplasty (CA). Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional correlational study. Based on the inclusion criteria, qualified participants were chosen from among the patients who referred to heart specialty hospital using a convenience sampling method. The applied questionnaire in this study included three sections encompassing the demographic information, a 5-item Medication Adherence Questionnaire (MARS), and BMQ-S questionnaire containing two aspects of 'necessity' and 'concerns about taking medications'. Results: The mean of participants' age was 56.99 (SD=12.80) and the majority of the participants were males (78.7%), married (89.3%), and mostly illiterate (30.7%). The study results showed that 70% (n=105) of the participants had a weak medication adherence. The results of the Pearson correlation demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between the beliefs in medication and adherence to it. Conclusions: After CA, nurses and family members can pave the way for the patients to adhere to medication by influencing their beliefs.