Which nursing intervention is most appropriate for a patient with hypertension who has a history of nonadherence to prescribed medications?

Hypertension nonadherence is a behavioral and clinical risk factor leading to persistent elevated systemic vascular resistance, endothelial damage, left ventricular hypertrophy, and increased risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, and renal failure. Effective management depends on pharmacologic therapy combined with patient understanding and behavioral adherence strategies. Rationale: A. Advising complete avoidance of physical activity is inappropriate and may worsen cardiovascular risk. Regular moderate exercise reduces blood pressure and improves vascular compliance. This does not address medication adherence or patient education deficits. B. Assessing understanding of the medication regimen identifies knowledge gaps contributing to nonadherence. Providing targeted education improves compliance, reinforces dosing schedules, and enhances self-management. This directly improves therapeutic adherence and blood pressure control. C. Switching to a lower dose without assessment may lead to inadequate blood pressure control and increased cardiovascular risk. Medication changes should be based on clinical evaluation, not adherence issues alone. This does not address behavioral factors causing noncompliance. D. Delaying treatment is unsafe and increases risk of hypertensive complications such as stroke and end-organ damage. Hypertension requires continuous management. This approach fails to address ongoing vascular risk and worsens patient outcomes.