Medication adherence mediates the relationship between marital status and cardiac event-free survival in patients with heart failure

Jia Rong Wu, Terry A. Lennie, Misook L. Chung, Susan K. Frazier, Rebecca L. Dekker, Martha J. Biddle, Debra K. Moser

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

100 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Prognosis is worse in unmarried patients compared with married patients with heart failure (HF). The reasons for differences in outcomes are unclear, but variations in medication adherence may play a role, because medication adherence is essential to achieving better outcomes. The study objective was to determine whether medication adherence mediated the relationship between marital status and cardiac event-free survival in patients with HF. Methods: Demographic, clinical, and psychosocial data were collected by questionnaires and medical record review for 136 patients with HF (aged 61 ± 11 years, 70% were male, 60% were in New York Heart Association class III/IV). Medication adherence was monitored objectively for 3 months using the Medication Event Monitoring System. Cardiac event-free survival data were obtained by patient/family interview, hospital database, and death certificate review. A series of regression and Cox survival analyses were performed to determine whether medication adherence mediated the relationship between marital status and event-free survival. Results: Cardiac event-free survival was worse in unmarried patients than in married patients. Unmarried patients were more likely to be nonadherent and 2 times more likely to experience an event than married patients (P = .017). Marital status was not a significant predictor of event-free survival after entering medication adherence in the model, demonstrating a mediation effect of adherence on the relationship of marital status to survival. Conclusion: Medication adherence mediated the relationship between marital status and event-free survival. It is important to design interventions to increase medication adherence that take into account subgroups, such as unmarried patients, who are at higher risk for nonadherence.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)107-114
Number of pages8
JournalHeart and Lung: Journal of Acute and Critical Care
Volume41
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2012

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Institute of Nursing ResearchR01NR008567

    Keywords

    • Heart failure
    • Marital status
    • Mediator
    • Medication adherence
    • Outcomes

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
    • Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
    • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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