Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Suva, Fiji Islands.
School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2023 Aug 28;18(8):e0285998. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285998. eCollection 2023.
Hypertension remains a public health challenge worldwide however, the prevention, detection, treatment and management of this condition are not highly prioritized. Health knowledge has an important impact on individual's health. The ability to actively participate in screening, diagnosis and management of hypertension are influenced by patient's knowledge of hypertension. To understand why hypertension is so difficult to control, it may be of benefit to gain an understanding of the patient's perspective. Hence, the aim of the study is to explore the perceptions of patients on prevention and diagnosis of hypertension in Fiji.
The study used a qualitative method approach. The study was conducted at the four purposively selected health centers in the Lautoka/ Yasawa medical subdivision. A purposive sampling was used which included all the patients who attended the SOPD, age more than 18 years and above, diagnosed with hypertension for 6 months or more and attended clinic at one of the 4 selected health centers. Semi-structured open-ended interview guide were used to collect data among patients through in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis was used manually to analyze the data using four steps that is immersion in the data, coding the data, creating categories and identifying themes / subthemes.
Twenty-five SOPD patients took part in the in-depth interview and the responses were grouped into two themes. The themes emerged included hypertension knowledge and diagnosis of hypertension in a closed family and self. Subthemes derived from the hypertension knowledge were measures of awareness, hypertension aetiology, risk perception, origin of information and concept of prevention. Sub themes derived from the diagnosis of hypertension in a closed family were perception when first diagnosed, hypertension in relation and hypertension impact. Patients' knowledge on etiologies and risk factors of hypertension were generally poor. Majority of the participants learnt about hypertension in hospitals and few over radios and television. Diagnosis in a closed family triggered worrisome, fear and fright on some patients.
Majority of the patients have less knowledge about various risk factors of hypertension. Worrisome, fearful, frightful, frustration and sadness were some of the reactions and emotions highlighted by the patients. It is important to design culturally tailored interventions that address the psychological and behavioral needs of the patients. Recommendation to conduct further studies to understand the perception of hypertension among the general public.
高血压仍然是全球公共卫生面临的挑战，然而，这种疾病的预防、检测、治疗和管理并没有得到高度重视。健康知识对个人健康有重要影响。患者对高血压的了解影响其主动参与高血压筛查、诊断和管理的能力。为了了解为什么高血压如此难以控制，了解患者的观点可能会有所帮助。因此，本研究旨在探讨斐济患者对高血压预防和诊断的看法。
本研究采用定性方法。研究在劳托卡/亚萨瓦医疗分区的四个有目的选择的卫生中心进行。采用目的抽样法，包括所有在 SOPD 就诊的患者，年龄在 18 岁以上，被诊断为高血压 6 个月以上，在 4 个选定的卫生中心之一的诊所就诊。使用半结构化开放式访谈指南通过深入访谈收集患者数据。使用手动主题分析法对数据进行分析，该方法分为四个步骤：沉浸在数据中、对数据进行编码、创建类别和识别主题/子主题。
25 名 SOPD 患者参加了深入访谈，访谈结果分为两个主题。这两个主题包括高血压知识和家庭内自我诊断高血压。从高血压知识中衍生出的子主题包括认知、高血压病因、风险认知、信息来源和预防概念。从家庭内自我诊断高血压中衍生出的子主题包括首次诊断时的认知、高血压相关认知和高血压影响。大多数患者对高血压的病因和危险因素了解甚少。大多数参与者在医院了解高血压，少数人在广播和电视上了解。家庭内的诊断会引起一些患者的担忧、恐惧和惊吓。
大多数患者对高血压的各种危险因素了解较少。患者强调的一些反应和情绪包括担忧、恐惧、惊吓、沮丧和悲伤。设计针对患者心理和行为需求的文化定制干预措施非常重要。建议开展进一步研究，以了解公众对高血压的看法。
