Preferred Name
Abagail Grace Farmer
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7515-0468
Date of Graduation
12-14-2024
Semester of Graduation
Fall
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
School of Nursing
First Advisor
Holly Buchanan
Abstract
Background and purpose: Hypertension is the contributing cause of death for nearly half a million people living in the United States each year. Only one out of four of those diagnosed with hypertension is controlled. The purpose of this project is to determine if patient engagement, including lifestyle coaching, telemonitoring, and the use of the patient portal can be used effectively for improving blood pressure readings in patients with hypertension.
Objective: This quality improvement project aims to enhance patient engagement, improve communication between patient and provider, and reduce blood pressure to less than 140/90 for those patients with hypertension.
Methods: A quasi-experimental interventional study was implemented at a federally qualified health center in rural Southwest Virginia. Blood pressures were compared before and after the intervention as well as patient medication adherence, changes in lifestyle, rate of home blood pressure monitoring, and patient knowledge of hypertension management. A patient satisfaction survey was used to assess patient engagement and explore the need for quality improvement.
Findings: A statistically significant decrease in systolic pressures with an increase in medication adherence, lifestyle interventions (reduction in sodium, increase in exercise), increase in blood pressure monitoring at home, reduction in healthcare cost, and increase in patient satisfaction was seen.
Conclusion: This project allows for a lifetime of research by increasing the use of telemonitoring to expand the access to care in underserved communities
Key words: hypertension, telemonitoring
