Introduction:

Arterial hypertension remains a public health challenge in Paraguay; lack of adherence to treatment poses medical, economic, and psychosocial concerns. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are valuable tools in monitoring patients and improving adherence to drug treatment.

Objective:

Promote adherence to antihypertensive drug treatment among hypertensive patients who attend a public health service by implementing a pharmaceutical care service supported by mobile phones.

Materials and methods:

A quasi-experimental study was conducted in male and female patients aged 18 years and older with arterial hypertension, in which pharmaceutical interventions supported by mobile telephony (calls, SMS messaging, and WhatsApp) were applied and adherence to treatment was assessed using the Morisky-Green questionnaire with complementary questions to identify the reasons for non-adherence. The research protocol was approved by a Research Ethics Committee of the FCQ-UNA (714/2021).

Results:

A total of 60 patients participated. Initially, 68.3% (n=41) showed adherence to treatment according to the Morisky-Green questionnaire, while 31.7% (n=19) did not adhere to the indication. After the interventions, an increase in adherence to treatment was observed, with a compliance of 96.7% (p<0.001). Reasons non-adherence to pharmacotherapy included forgetfulness 28.3% (n=17), unavailability of drugs at the hospital 20% (n=12) and cost 10% (n=6).

Conclusion:

The use of mobile phones to support pharmaceutical care has the potential to serve as a tool for promoting adherence in patients with arterial hypertension.

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