Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine 2008-0387 10 0 2017 06 18 248 248 EN Seyedeh Somayeh amininasab MSc Student of Intensive Care Nursing, Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Hamideh Azimi lolaty Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Mahmood Moosazadeh Assistant Professor, Health Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran Vida Shafipour Assistant Professor, Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Nasibeh Nursing & Midwifery Faculty, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. 2016 12 18 2017 05 28 Medication adherence is a behavior that is influenced by several factors, and maintaining patients’ dignity is an important issue that needs to be considered in the course of treatment. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between human dignity and medication adherence in patients with heart failure. This was a cross-sectional study. A total number of 300 patients with heart failure admitted to the Mazandaran Heart Center, Iran, participated in this study by census. Samples were selected based on inclusion criteria such as an HF diagnosis by a cardiologist for a minimum of 6 months, and taking at least one cardiac medication. Data were collected through demographic, clinical, human dignity, and medication adherence questionnaires over a period of three months in 2016. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Consents were obtained from patients and the medical center, and necessary explanations were given about the confidentiality of information prior to completing the questionnaires. The mean score of medication adherence was 5.82 suggesting low medication adherence among the patients, and the mean score of human dignity was 81.39. There was a negative relationship between medication adherence and threat to human dignity (r = - 0.6, P < 0.001), i.e., the higher the scores of threat, the lower the medication adherence of the patients. After adjusting the effects of potential confounding variables, there still was a correlation between medication adherence and the variables of human dignity and its dimensions. Based on the findings, an increase in patients’ dignity can enhance medication adherence, which can theoretically improve patients’ health and reduce frequent hospitalization. https://jmehm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmehm/article/view/248 https://jmehm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmehm/article/download/248/156