Patients' beliefs are important consideration to improve medication adherence. Clinically, patients' beliefs should be assessed, and strategies to improve medication adherence should incorporate beliefs as a key component to improve antihypertensive medication adherence. Patient education and counseling regarding hypertension and necessity and side effects of medications are important to maximize positive beliefs and improve medication adherence.

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abstract:Objectives: The prevalence of hypertension (HTN) in Oman is alarmingly high and patient adherence to antihypertensive medications is inadequate. This study aimed to assess the relationship between medication adherence and health beliefs among Omani patients with HTN. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in December 2015 and included 45 patients with HTN recruited from four primary health centres in Al Dakhiliyah and Muscat governorates, Oman. Medication adherence and health beliefs were assessed using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and the revised Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale. Results: The mean MMAS score was 5.3 ± 2.0, with 48.9% of patients reporting high adherence. Higher self-efficacy and stronger beliefs regarding medication necessity were significantly related to adherence (P = 0.012 and 0.028, respectively). Conclusion:The findings of this pilot study emphasise the role of health beliefs with regards to Omani patients' adherence to antihypertensive medications.

Chronic diseases constitute a significant threat to health. Worldwide, medication adherence in chronic diseases remains unsatisfactory. Understanding factors affecting adherence is essential. This study examined medication adherence by characteristics of patients with chronic diseases. This cross-sectional study included 800 patients. The Adherence to Chronic Diseases Scale was used to measure adherence. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression was used to examine factors influencing medication adherence. Low adherence was found in 19.5% of the patients, 45% had medium adherence, and 35.5% had high adherence. Logistic regression showed that retired ( OR 0.496, 95% CI [0.33–0.75]), having COPD ( OR 0.460, 95% CI [0.32–0.67]) and duration of disease ≤5 years ( OR 1.554, 95% CI [1.11–2.17]) remain independent predictors for high adherence. Mixed findings regarding the relationship between medication adherence and patients’ characteristics were noticed. Patients’ characteristics should be examined with the individual population when examining and attempting to improve medication adherence in clinical practice.

Background and purpose There is a lack of validated tools to assess adherence to gestational diabetes (GDM) management plan among women with GDM. This study aimed to translate the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activity (SDSCA) into Arabic, culturally adapt it, and test its psychometric properties among women with GDM. Methods A multiphase study was used to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of SDSCA using the following steps: (1) cultural and linguistic validation; (2) content and face validity testing; (3) construct validity testing; and (4) internal validity testing. Nineghty pregnant women with GDM were recruited to meet the purpose of this study. Results The Arabic version of the adapted SDSCA tool revealed adequate content validity, satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.74), and test-retest reliability (Pearson correlation coefficient = .67). Exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors that fit data satisfactory: diet, exercise, and blood glucose monitoring. Conclusions This study showed that the adapted Arabic SDSCA tool is an easy, valid, and reliable tool to assess pregnant women’s adherence to GDM management plan.