International Journal of Health Sciences

Effects of Self-Care Model on Blood Pressure Levels and Self-care agency in Patients with Hypertension
Esra Yildiz, Behice Erci

Introduction
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure and primarily encountered in adults and especially elderly individuals, is a cause of death of 7.6 million people per year and is diagnosed in 90 million people every year (Lawes, Vandur Hoorn, Rodgers, 2008; Nixon, Müller, Lawy, Falvey, 2009). According to the World Health Organization, hypertension is one of the leading causes of death and affects almost 1 billion people worldwide (Nixon, Müller, Lawy, Falvey, 2009; 2007 ESH-ESC, 2007). In Turkey, according to a 2003 study, hypertension incidence is 31.8% overall, 36.1% for women and 27.5% for men (Altun et al., 2005). High blood pressure is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and can lead to myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney failure (Kaya et al., 2009). Hypertension is preventable with changes in lifestyle. Self-care is key for dealing with chronic health problems including hypertension (Goahr et al., 2008). Public health nurses can help individuals with hypertension to perform self-care with appropriate instruction and reinforcement. Therefore, the role of a nurse in self-care of hypertension patients includes planning, administering, and evaluating the nursing interventions as follows: training the individual in lifestyle changes, increasing awareness of potential complications of hypertension, and observing behavioral changes following such instruction (Pearson, Vaughan and Fitsgerald, 2000).

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/ijhs.v4n1a8