Health education for the hypertensive patient
Section: LEARNING TO TEACH
Authors
1Laura Castro Varela, 2Marco Antonio Zapata Sampedro
Position
1Diplomada en Enfermería. Hospitales Universitarios Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla.2Diplomado en Enfermería. Centro de Salud Polígono Norte. Distrito sanitario AP, Sevilla.
Contact email: lauracv1985@hotmail.com
Abstract
Hypertension constitutes a high health cost due to its prevalence, low diagnostic level, lack of appropriate surveillance and also because it is a primary risk factor for other cardiovascular disorders.
Over 70% of patients on treatment for hypertension do not get proper monitoring of their blood pressure mainly due to their low compliance with the diet advice and pharmacological instructions given to them.
The knowledge that nurses may have on arterial hypertension in the performance of their professional work are of most importance, given their responsibility in this field, both in terms of prevention of risk factors by giving patient education through effective communication means and by blood pressure monitoring and provision of nursing care measures when complications arise.
There are several action measures to be taken by the nurses to tackle this problem. These include patient education (diet, exercise, life style and medication), monitoring blood pressure values, and providing the patient with the necessary information on this illness.
Keywords:
blood pressure; hypertension; health education; patient education; pharmacological treatment; life style habitsnursing tasks
Versión en Español
Título:
