Research Topic for the Proposal
The education of older adults suffering from hypertension is potentially effective in the fight against this disease. Nursing interventions aimed at increasing health literacy among patients may be useful as one of the methods for normalizing blood pressure and improving well-being. At the same time, the development of an appropriate assistance program is an essential and responsible task that needs to be addressed through the use of a theoretical framework and methodological practices. According to Lu et al. (2015), “as a major chronic non-communicable disease, hypertension is the most important risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney diseases, stroke and premature death if not detected early and treated appropriately” (p. 33). Therefore, necessary measures should be taken in order to protect patients and increase their knowledge concerning possible ways to reduce the threat of severe health outcomes.
As one of the possible interventions, the semi-annual course of work with potentially at-risk elderly patients can be useful. The nursing practice may involve working with the target population at the age of 65-70. The intervention can be based on patient education and the explanation of the benefits of a specific lifestyle. As Hansell, Mann, and Kirk (2017) remark, such factors as daily 30-minute walking, healthy nutrition, and other components of a healthy lifestyle are effective to support measures for the treatment of hypertension in addition to medications. Moreover, drug treatment excluding any physical activity allows maintaining a relatively stable state of the body but does not provide an opportunity to fight the disease successfully. Healthy literacy with regard to the need to regularly monitor a lifestyle can give patients the possibility to monitor the treatment process independently and successfully and maintain patients’ health status. Therefore, such intervention is potentially valuable and necessary.
As a rationale, academic articles on this topic can be of use. The quantitative method of analyzing the data obtained will allow determining the number of patients with positive treatment dynamics in a statistical ratio. Data collection may be realized by monitoring the health indicators of the target group, evaluating the results of the intervention, and displaying the information graphically. This study is topical and in demand since, according to Halladay et al. (2017), “few, if any, intervention studies have focused on hypertensive populations,” therefore, this topic is important (p. 543). The information obtained can be used as an argument in favor of the need for intervention and the introduction of appropriate practices for patient education. The data may be disseminated among nursing communities in order to increase the impact of this practice on the treatment of elderly patients with hypertension.
Research Questions for the Proposal
In order to conduct a study on the given topic effectively, it is required to develop a number of research questions that will help to solve the issue in a phased manner. This list can be supplemented if necessary, nevertheless, the items mentioned are mandatory. The questions can be as follows:
- What are the benefits of educating elderly patients with hypertension?
- What procedures are effective for this intervention?
- Is it possible to combine the nursing intervention with medication treatment?
- How will the information be analyzed?
- Are the results of the study justified in terms of their effectiveness and relevance?
- What perspectives are there in case the benefits of the new practice are proved successfully?
References
Halladay, J. R., Donahue, K. E., CenĂ©, C. W., Li, Q., Cummings, D. M., Hinderliter, A. L.,… DeWalt, D. (2017). The association of health literacy and blood pressure reduction in a cohort of patients with hypertension: The heart healthy lenoir trial. Patient Education and Counseling, 100(3), 542-549. Web.
Hansell, M. W., Mann, E. M., & Kirk, J. K. (2017). Hypertension treatment strategies for older adults: This evidence-based review illustrates how to adjust treatment for comorbidities and incorporate frailty and cognitive impairment into the equation. Journal of Family Practice, 66(9), 546-554.
Lu, C. H., Tang, S. T., Lei, Y. X., Zhang, M. Q., Lin, W. Q., Ding, S. H., & Wang, P. X. (2015). Community-based interventions in hypertensive patients: A comparison of three health education strategies. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 33-41. Web.