The mediatory role of medication adherence in improving patients’ medication experience through patient–physician communication among older hypertensive patients

BACKGROUND Understanding how patient-physician communication affects patients' medication experience would help hypertensive patients maintain their regular long-term medication therapy. This study aimed to examine whether patient-physician communication (information and interpersonal treatment) affects patients' medication experience directly or indirectly through changing medication adherence for each of the two communication domains. METHODS A self-administered cross-sectional survey was conducted for older patients who had visited a community senior center as a member. Two communication domains were assessed using two subscales of the Primary Care Assessment Survey. Medication adherence and experience were measured using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and a five-point Likert scale, respectively. Mediatory effects were assessed via Baron and Kenny's procedure and a Sobel test. RESULTS Patient-physician communication had a positive prediction on patients' medication experience (β=0.25, P=0.03), and this was fully mediated by medication adherence (z=3.62, P<0.001). Of the two components of patient-physician communication, only informative communication showed a mediatory effect (z=2.21, P=0.03). CONCLUSION Patient-physician communication, specifically informative communication, had the potential to improve patients' medication experience via changes in medication adherence. This finding can inform health care stakeholders of the mediatory role of medication adherence in ensuring favorable medication experience for older hypertensive patients by fostering informative patient-physician communication.