Education Utilization in Blood Pressure Management and Medication Adherence in Hypertensive Adults

Approved May 2018 by the faculty of UMKC in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Nursing PracticeHypertension is a modifiable risk factor for serious chronic diseases including heart disease and stroke. Even with known benefits of hypertension management, only half of adults diagnosed have their blood pressure controlled. The purpose of this human subject, quasi-experimental study was to determine if patient hypertension education improved anti-hypertensive medication adherence in addition to blood pressure control and management. The study was conducted at a primary care clinic within an urban core health system in Missouri. There were five study participants. Patients were asked to participate in an educational session and complete home blood pressure monitoring. Upon completion of the education session, follow up calls were conducted to assess participants’ blood pressure management. Post-intervention outcomes measures included medication adherence, post-intervention blood pressure values, and number of at-home monitoring days from the home blood pressure monitoring logs. There were two participants who completed all aspects of the study interventions. The study did not show an improvement in blood pressure control and medication adherence but positive responses were obtained from the participants. Effective interventions for increasing medication adherence and managing hypertension can prevent health complications, reduce healthcare costs associated with hypertension and decrease morbidity and mortality