Document Type

DNP Project

Department

School of Nursing

Date of Degree

Spring 2022

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Primary Advisor

Cynthia L. Allen, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC; Qiuping (Pearl) Zhou, Ph.D., RN

Keywords

Hypertension; Telehealth

Abstract

Background: Hypertension poses a significant risk for morbidity and mortality. Regular blood pressure monitoring, medication compliance, and/or lifestyle modifications have shown to improve control. Digital communication in healthcare, such as telemedicine provides patients and primary care offices an opportunity to improve access to care and education.

Objectives: This Quality Improvement (QI) Project aimed to answer the question: In adult patients with a diagnosis of hypertension, what is the effectiveness of implementing an evidence- based telehealth blood pressure management program in a primary health care setting, when compared to baseline, on blood pressure knowledge, management, and self-care over a nine- week period.

Methods: A same subject, pretest/posttest design was used. The American Heart Association /American Medical Association, “Lower Your Blood Pressure Questionnaire” and the Hypertension Evaluation of Lifestyle Management Scale were used to evaluate outcomes. Following the pretest survey, participants were scheduled for two one-on-one educational sessions. Two weeks post intervention, participants received posttest questionnaires (same measure).

Results: Twenty-eight participants completed all activities. Scores indicated a significant increase in the frequency of taking blood pressure (p<0.05). Diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly from pre-intervention (M=89.17, SD=8.40) to post-intervention (M= 84.86, SD=7.90), t = 1.819, p<.05, two-tailed. Furthermore, a paired t-test determined a statistically significant relationship between pre and post intervention self-care (p<.05).

Conclusions: The project identified an association between utilizing digital communication to provide hypertension education and improving participant knowledge, self-care, and management of hypertension These improvements suggest by implementing a telehealth-based hypertension management program, morbidity and mortality related to hypertension may be reduced.

Open Access

1

Included in

Nursing Commons

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.