Perceptions of nursing care in a stroke and heart attack prevention program

Introduction: Hypertension control is an important issue for public health practice and clinical practice. Hypertension, known as a silent killer, affects more than 73 million Americans or approximately 1 in 3 adults in their lifetime. African Americans have been shown to have higher rates of uncontrolled hypertension compared to Caucasians. The Stroke and Heart Attack Prevention Program (SHAPP) is an ongoing hypertension management program for mostly low-income, uninsured patients in Georgia. Methods: The site of data collection was in a hypertension clinic at a health department in Georgia. Twenty-two qualitative interviews were conducted with African American females aged 55 and older. Interviews ranged from 40 minutes to 1 hour. Patients were mostly uninsured, low income, and high school graduates. Patients were diagnosed with controlled and uncontrolled hypertension. Results: All patients reported positive perceptions of the care they received in the clinic. Nurses treated them compassionately by addressing their individual needs. Nurses educated them on the risks of uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Patients believed what the nurses told them and believed they were receiving the proper care at the clinic. Discussion: The patients' positive perceptions of the nurses may have contributed to their compliance with their treatment, successful hypertension control, and continual participation in the SHAPP program. Limitations include participation of patients with the time to participate and being unable to interview patients who were unsatisfied with their care. These results demonstrate the importance of nursing care and patient communication in management of hypertension, diabetes, and weight loss.