Full coverage for hypertension drugs in rural communities in China.
Year: 2013
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The control rate for hypertension is unacceptably low worldwide, and poor adherence to medication is a primary reason. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of full coverage for hypertension drugs on adherence to medication, medical costs, and hypertension control in Shandong Province, China. METHODS: In November 2009, we interviewed 110 hypertensive patients who had been participating in a free medication program since May 2008 and 241 hypertensive patients who were not participating. We used a 1:1 propensity-score matching technique to obtain matched samples of 102 program participants (intervention) and 102 nonparticipants (control). We used univariate analysis to compare patient drug-taking behaviors, medical costs, and hypertension control between the 2 groups. RESULTS: All intervention patients took > 1 drugs for hypertension control and 93% of them took > 3 such drugs, 15 control patients (15%) did not take any, and only 39% took 3 or more (P < .001). Three-fourths (75%) of the intervention patients took the prescribed drugs regularly, whereas 66% of the control group (P = .034) did so. Participation in the program was associated with lower annual out-of-pocket medical costs both overall and for outpatient services (P < .001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Low-income rural residents in China receiving free drugs had enhanced medication adherence and reduced total medical costs. Providing hypertension drugs at no charge may be a promising strategy for preventing costly cardiovascular events associated with hypertension in China and other parts of the world with growing rates of cardiovascular disease.
Source: PubMed
Authors: Baorong Yu, Xiaojuan Zhang, Guijing Wang
Institution: University of International Business and Economics
Language: English
Subfield: Family Practice
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W59615473