Non-Pharmacologic Hypertension Education for Patients with Peripheral Vascular Diseases

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to educate and improveawareness and knowledge of hypertension and of nonpharmacologic management of hypertension in patients receiving arterial angiograms in an outpatient vascular clinic in Tucson, Arizona. Providing hypertension education and resources to patients to promote a better understanding of how they can improve their overall health can significantly impact target community blood pressure goals. Background: Hypertension is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, chronic kidneydisease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease and is the most common reason for adult clinical visits and for the use of prescription drugs in the United States. In Tucson, Arizona the estimated prevalence of high blood pressure among adults aged 18 years and older was 30.6% in 2017. Evidence shows that undiagnosed/untreated hypertension and hypertension that is poorly managed can result in an increase in comorbidities and reduce the life expectancy of individuals affected by it. Hypertension is a public health issue, therefore, introducing healthy lifestyles to all patients could potentially have a positive impact on community health. Methods: The project was guided using The Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s Model forImprovement and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle in the project development and implementation. Through the collaboration of the project lead and practice site staff participants, a hypertension education handout was developed. A pretest and posttest were administered to assess hypertension knowledge at baseline and hypertension knowledge after the intervention. Results: Fifteen patients were identified as potential candidates to participate in project. Of those15 patients, 12 patients consented to participate. The overall results from the data analysis displayed a 26% improvement in scores after intervention. Four of the five questions displayed an improvement in scores on posttest following intervention. Conclusions: The nonpharmacologic hypertension educational handouts proved to be aninfluential method of raising awareness and knowledge regarding hypertension management. The educational handout provided basic hypertension facts, the risks of living with uncontrolled hypertension, and different methods of hypertension treatment and management. This project provided education and awareness of hypertension and increased patient knowledge and confidence in their hypertension management to improve overall health outcomes.