Relationship between Warfarin Related Knowledge, Self Efficacy and Medication Adherence of Patient with Prosthetic Heart Valve Replacement

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between warfarin-related knowledge, self-efficacy, and medication adherence among patients who underwent heart valve replacement surgery. The patients who underwent heart valve surgery and warfarin therapy were included in this study. The data was collected by administering questionnaires, and the data was then analyzed using the SPSS WIN 22.0 program. There was a positive relationship between warfarin-related knowledge and the adherence to medication (r=.285, p=004). Medication adherence was also positively correlated with warfarin-related knowledge (r=.250, p=.046) and self-efficacy (r=.292, p=.019) for elderly patients under 70 years of age. Further, medication adherence of elderly patients over 70 years of age was correlated with only warfarin-related knowledge (r=.358, p=.032). The results of this study show that in order to improve medication adherence, elderly people should be provided with warfarin-related knowledge through individually tailored education and nursing interventions that strengthen self-efficacy, as well as the knowledge that is needed in the elderly group under 70 years old.