Department of Nursing, Heritage Christian University College, Amasaman-Accra, Ghana.
School of Nursing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2024 Jun 12;19(6):e0298202. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298202. eCollection 2024.
Across the globe, a vast number of people, amounting to 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years, suffer from hypertension. Two-thirds of them reside in low- and middle-income countries, and a significant 46% of these adults with hypertension are unaware of their condition. Hence the study aims to determine the Antihypertensive use insights and experiences among hypertensive patients at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
A qualitative exploratory design was employed to recruit thirty 30 hypertensive patients from both male and female medical wards as well as the hypertensive clinic at the OPD of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The patients were selected using a purposive sampling technique, following which they were involved in face-face in-depth interviews which were audiotaped. Recorded data was then transcribed and analyzed with content analysis.
The analysis of the data resulted in three (3) main themes and 10 sub-themes. The study uncovered a general lack of knowledge about antihypertensive medications. This limited understanding resulted in a negative attitude among most patients toward the use of prescribed antihypertensive drugs. When it came to their experiences with antihypertensive medications, patients shared a wide range of experiences.
It was concluded that there is a need to improve the knowledge and attitude of patients as these play pivotal roles in determining adherence levels. Thus, interventions such as the organization of educational programs and awareness creation is recommended to improve adherence level and in turn, decrease the prevalence of hypertensive complications associated with poor management.
在全球范围内，有大量的成年人患有高血压，数量达到 12.8 亿，年龄在 30-79 岁之间。其中三分之二的人居住在中低收入国家，而这些高血压成年人中高达 46%的人并不知道自己的病情。因此，本研究旨在确定科勒布教学医院高血压患者的抗高血压药物使用情况和经验。
采用定性探索性设计，从男女医疗病房以及科勒布教学医院 OPD 的高血压诊所招募了 30 名高血压患者。患者采用目的抽样技术选择，然后对他们进行面对面的深入访谈并录音。记录的数据随后进行转录和内容分析。
数据分析产生了三个（3）个主要主题和 10 个次主题。研究发现，患者普遍缺乏对降压药物的了解。这种有限的理解导致大多数患者对使用处方降压药物持消极态度。当涉及到他们的降压药物使用经验时，患者分享了广泛的经验。
研究表明，需要提高患者的知识和态度，因为这对于确定依从性水平起着关键作用。因此，建议开展教育计划和宣传活动等干预措施，以提高依从性水平，从而降低与管理不善相关的高血压并发症的发生率。
