Strategies to treat and manage patients with hypertension
In clinical settings, advanced practice nurses frequently use various strategies to treat and manage patients with hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders. These strategies often include pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies, natural remedies, and/or changes in patient behavior. For hypertension patients, behavioral changes including increased exercise, healthier diet, and smoking cessation have proven to be particularly beneficial. However, it is important to recognize that treatment and management plans centered around changes in behavior often require greater patient commitment. This creates the need for patient-provider collaboration, as well as appropriate patient education. When patients are actively involved in their own care and better understand implications of their disorders, they are more likely to adhere to treatment plans.
To prepare:
Review Part 11 of the Buttaro et al. text and the National Heart Lung Blood Institute article in this week’s Learning Resources.
Reflect on your Practicum Experiences and observations. Select a case from these experiences that involves a patient who presented with a hypertension problem. When referring to your patient, make sure to use a pseudonym or other false form of identification. This is to ensure the privacy and protection of the patient.
Think about the patient’s history including drug treatments and behavioral factors such as diet, exercise, smoking, etc.
Review the National Heart Lung Blood Institute article in the Learning Resources. Reflect on health promotion strategies for the patient. Consider ways to reinforce hypertension management.
Post on or before Day 3
1) A description of a patient who presented with a hypertension problem during your Practicum Experience.
2) Explain the patient�s history including drug treatments and behavioral factors.
3) Then, suggest two health promotion strategies for the patient.
4) Include suggestions for reinforcing hypertension management.