The Effect of Patient-Provider Communication on Medication Adherence in Hypertensive Black Patients: Does Race Concordance Matter?

Background: Despite evidence of a positive effect of collaborative patient-provider communication on patient outcomes, our understanding of this relationship is unclear. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine whether racial composition of the relationship modified the association between ratings of provider communication and medication adherence. Methods: Effect modification of the communication-adherence association, by racial composition of the relationship, was evaluated using general linear mixed models while adjusting for selected covariates. Results: Three hundred ninety patients were in race-concordant (black patient, black provider) relationships, while 207 were in race-discordant (black patient, white provider) relationships. The communication-adherence association was significantly modified in race-discordant relationships ( p = 0.04). Communication rated as more collaborative in race-discordant relationships was associated with better adherence, while communication rated as less collaborative was associated with poor adherence. There was no significant association between adherence and communication in race-concordant relationships ( p = 0.24). Conclusions: Collaborative patient-provider communication may play an influential role in black patients' adherence behaviors when receiving care from white providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]