Needs assessment strategies in working with compliance issues and blood pressure control.

This paper addresses the development and effect of health education interventions on compliance behavior and blood pressure control of hypertensive patients. The focus is on two main tactics: 1) the use of a baseline questionnaire to determine the patients' needs in the area of medical regimen management and the translation of that information into education intervention; 2) the development of a group method as a form of internality training providing a needs assessment and simultaneously responding to the assessment. The results supported the study's hypotheses with respect to blood pressure control. Both the theoretical and practical aspects of internality training as a needs assessment process and a skill training process are discussed.