Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Dr. Anna Hubbard

Abstract

AbstractHypertension (HTN) is a frequent diagnosis in primary care settings and is disproportionately higher among African Americans. Observed in the clinic were frequent office visits by patients with uncontrolled blood pressure and nonadherence to medication in an outpatient cardiology clinic in Northeast New Jersey. Also, a knowledge gap was noticed among clinical staff on current HTN guidelines. An awareness of evidence-based guidelines was necessary to combat poorly controlled BP in the clinic. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to create an education program on current HTN guidelines to bridge the knowledge gap among clinic staff. The education program was designed per the American Heart Association /American College of Cardiology and Eighth Joint National Committee guidelines involving recommendations to educate patients on lifestyle modifications. The transtheoretical model of change and the chronic care model were used to develop the training program. The project included educating seven clinic staff on current guidelines for blood pressure measurements assessed among African American patients and lifestyle modifications. The data from questionnaire (10 pre- and post-intervention multiple choice questions) were analyzed using a paired-sample t-test to determine knowledge of established approaches for hypertension management from the education program. The results revealed increased staff knowledge post-intervention (p = 0.20). This project's findings may positively affect social change by improving adherence to blood pressure medication and improving health care outcomes for African American patients through self-empowerment using evidence-based practice guidelines.

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