A Case Of A Patient With Hypertension Coursework Example

A Case of a Patient with Hypertension
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A Case of a Patient with Hypertension
Background Information on the Patient
This case is about a patient that was diagnosed with stage one hypertension during my practicum at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. In this case, Tim will substitute the patient’s actual name for confidentiality purposes. Tim was a 42-year-old Caucasian man who visited the clinic for a physiotherapy session of a dislocated joint in the arm. Routinely, I would conduct a physical examination to ensure that his body was functioning well and recovering. Tim complained during the consultation that he felt tired most of the time and could experience severe headache several times in a week. Tim did not have any serious medical history, he did not have any allergies and was not on any medication. However, Tim was a regular smoker and took alcohol mostly after work and during the weekend. The physical examination of the patient indicated that he had a pulse rate of 72, which is regular, a body temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, blood pressure of 158/94 mmHg and weighed 75 Kgs. A second reading indicated the blood pressure was 149/93mmHg.
Given the fact that the blood pressure readings of Tim were higher than the standard measurement, I conducted a further investigation of health status. The patient confirmed that his mother had hypertension which was detected and treated at the early stage. He also stated that there was no other common disease in the family.

Tim also said that he had not been under any serious medications during the past twelve months apart from prescribed painkillers given to him to reduce the pain when he injured his arm. Regarding lifestyle, Tim hardly got time to exercise or participate in sports due to work pressure. He worked for about 15 hours daily excluding Sundays. Notably, he could take any food because he liked eating. After several other physical observations, the results indicated that Tim had stage one hypertension.
Health Promotion Strategies
Research reveals that the most effective health promotion strategies include health empowerment and education (Guedes et al., 2012; Buttaro et al., 2017). Patients will only understand the seriousness of a health issue if they receive detailed and comprehensive information regarding the risk factors of hypertension and the various ways they can manage the condition. Nurses can help their patients understand how their lifestyle and behavior impacts on their health and the multiple things they can do to improve their state. Health empowerment is also a useful health promotion strategy that can be used together with health education. In this case, health practitioners build the capacity of patients to take charge of their lives and modify their lifestyles. For instance, health practitioners encourage individuals to conduct activities such as walking, socializing, taking part in leisure activities, and building their self-esteem as a health empowerment practice.
Suggestions for Reinforcing Hypertension Management
Tim’s health could improve if he agreed to take several non-pharmacological preventive measures since he was in the first stage of hypertension. He could change his lifestyle and dietary plan. According to Gupta and Guptha (2010), lifestyle measures are vital in the management of hypertension. Patients who experience stress due to work-related and other psychological factors can improve their health status by exercising on a regular basis. Therefore, Tim could benefit from exercising regularly because the activity reduces distress level and encourage faster circulation of blood which is good for proper functioning of the body organs. Tim could also start by reducing the number of bottles he takes per day and when he is comfortable with the change, he can then limiting alcohol consumption to weekends only.

Research conducted by Bazzano, Green, Harrison, and Reynolds (2015) indicates that patients can manage hypertension by changing their dietary intake. The study encourages consumption of fruits, low-fat dietary products, vegetables, and reduced saturated fats in all meals. I recommend that Tim should pay attention to the foods that he consumes both at home and at work to ensure he lowers his pressure levels.
Conclusion
Patients with hypertension can easily manage their health if they get the needed support from health practitioners. It is the duty of nurses and other involved professionals to design health promotion strategies and interventions that can empower and educate patients with hypertension on how to prevent and manage the disease. The most effective ways of managing hypertension at the early stage are the adoption of a healthy dietary plan and lifestyle change.
References
Bazzano, L. A., Green, T., Harrison, T. N., & Reynolds, K. (2013). Dietary approaches to prevent hypertension. Current hypertension reports, 15(6), 694-702.
Buttaro, T. M., Trybulski, J., Polgar Bailey, P., & Sandberg-Cook, J. (2017). Primary care: A collaborative practice (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Guedes, N. G., Moreira, R. P., Cavalcante, T. F., Araujo, T. L. D., Lopes, M. V. D. O., Ximenes, L. B., & Vieira, N. F. C. (2012). Nursing interventions related to health promotion in hypertensive patients. Acta Paulista de Enfermagem, 25(1), 151-156.
Gupta, R., & Guptha, S. (2010). Strategies for initial management of hypertension. The Indian journal of medical research, 132(5), 531.