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Patient Hypertension Education & Compliance

EFFECTS OF PATIENT HYPERTENSION EDUCATION ON COMPLIANCE:

Hypertension has been estimated to affect over 15 percent of the general population in North America, and is a leading risk factor for coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure stroke, kidney disease, and retinopathy (Fodor, 1994); in the United States alone, it is estimated that 50 to 60 million people suffer from hypertension (Bittar, 1995). In the past two decades the proportion of treated patients with well-controlled hypertension has increased to over 40 percent; however, one third are either unaware of their condition, or the reduction of blood pressure in those treated is unsatisfactory (Fodor, 1994).

Some hypertensive conditions are considered to be "resistant;" usually such conditions are present when a patient's diastolic blood pressure remains above 90 mm Hg despite the use of full doses of normally affective hypertensive medications. According to Kaplan (1995) such cases are usually the result of patient refusal to make those lifestyles changes that would reduce blood pressure, (e.g. lose weight, stop drinking, stop smoking) and/or follow their medical regimen.

As can be seen from the foregoing, a large part of the reason that many patients blood pressure is unsatisfactorily treated is considered to be non-compliance with their treatment protocols. Another way of saying this is that a large percentage of hypertension patients stop taking their medication and refuse to comply with their therapeutic regimen.

One method often used in an effort to increase patient compliance has been patient education about the need for treatment and the consequences of noncompliance. The review of literature presented here examines research related to the success of patient education programs.

While patient education programs can differ in type and kind (e.g., psychoeducational programs, purely educational programs, nurse-delivered instruction, doctor-...

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Patient Hypertension Education & Compliance. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 00:37, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1692096.html