Two minutes Talk Therapy (TTT): A tool to improve medication adherence of Sri Lankan hypertensives

Hypertension is the most important risk factor for the commonest causes of death in this country; namely coronary vascular disease, stroke, heart and renal failure. Nearly one-fifth to one-third of adult Sri Lankan population have blood pressure levels that are above normal and the prevalence is comparable to those of the western world (1,2,3). Though Sri Lanka has immensely benefitted through free health delivery system, the nation has been facing challenges in combating the silent killer non-communicable diseases. Non-adherence of antihypertensive medication is a serious public health issue of the country (4). Only few studies have looked into the reason for noncompliance and it has been found that although the knowledge about hypertension is reasonably good among the hypertensives, forgetfulness and interruptions of daily routine were identified as common reasons for nonadherence (5). Over time, several strategies have been analyzed and postulated by researchers to improve medication adherence of hypertensive patients. Of these strategies, educating and enlightening the patient on hypertension and its treatment by the primary care physician during the initial encounter appears to be very promising. This initial talk therapy is often overlooked by most physicians working under poor resource settings. This article highlights the importance of such brief encounters and the content to be addressed in such encounters so that this golden opportunity of a contact with the patient is not missed.