Using urine assays in consultations about antihypertensive medications
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improving medication adherence: a qualitative study of the effect of using urine assays on consultations about antihypertensive medications
IRAS ID
247299
Contact name
James Hodgkinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
We want to find out what are the consequences of using a new approach to measure whether patients take their medication for high blood pressure as prescribed by their clinicians. The new method involves testing patients’ urine and has been shown to be very accurate. We want to explore whether this method is acceptable to patients and medical professionals, and if it is effective in changing the way doctors and patients think and communicate about their medication.
We know many people do not take their tablets as prescribed for many different reasons, and that clinicians do not always know this. If patients don’t take their medication, their blood pressure may remain high or rise higher. This can lead to people being offered even more tablets, or ones with stronger side effects, or in some cases being sent for costly and unpleasant tests to try to find out other reasons why their blood pressure is not coming down.
Though there have been many studies to try to find ways to improve patients’ medication taking, most have not been very successful, but most experts agree one important thing is for patients to be fully involved in decisions about their care.
For this reason, we want to know if discussing the results of the urine test, showing if someone has been taking their tablets or not, improves or worsens the relationship between the doctor and patient, whether it makes it easier or harder to discuss different approaches to treatment and care, whether it helps the doctor and patient discuss the reason why someone was not taking their tablets before, and by so doing whether it changes the way patients think about their medication.
We will assess this by observing video recordings of consultations and by interviewing both patients and clinicians.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0656
Date of REC Opinion
27 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion