Improving Health Literacy to Promote Hypertension Self-Management in the Primary Care Setting

Background: Hypertension carries a significant burden with nearly one third of U.S. adults having high blood pressure. Hypertension carries a significant cost of treatment and has been recognized a one of the highest burdens and threats to the medical and financial health in the United States (Kirkland et al., 2018). Health literacy directly determines the understanding of information and is fundamental in disease prevention and management and therefore plays an essential role in collaborative patient care. Purpose: Determine health literacy and provide the patient with an education intervention intended to improve knowledge and promote hypertension self-management in the outpatient setting. Methods: This quality improvement project used the Plan Do Study Act model and had patients complete a self-answer questionnaire that assessed health literacy status, beliefs and understanding of their diagnoses. Then the patients were provided with an educational brochure that provided easy to read information catered to all health literacies. Results: Patients reported the information provided to them was easy to read and they believed the information improved their knowledge and understanding of their diagnosis. Recommendations: Previous studies suggest that providers educate their patients with information that is easy to understand, including an educational brochure, websites, teach back, and the use of family/caregivers