Running head: HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE KNOWLEDGE AMONG PRIMARY CARE
PATIENTS WITH KNOWN HYPERTENSION: A NORTH CAROLINA FAMILY
MEDICINE RESEARCH NETWORK (NC-FM-RN) STUDY 1
High Blood Pressure Knowledge among Primary Care Patients with Known Hypertension: A
North Carolina Family Medicine Research Network (NC-FM-RN) Study
Introduction
High blood pressure or hypertension refers to abnormal levels of pressure in the body’s
arteries. This high pressure forces the heart to pump harder than is healthy and increases the risks
of, arterial damage, heart strain, strokes and heart failure among other serious illnesses. In fact, it
is one of the major factors influencing cardiovascular diseases globally with instances of children
increasing. According to George et al, prevalence for hypertension among adolescents is at 14%
(George et al, 2014). The prevalence of the high blood pressure worldwide is quite high with
statistics indicating that in 2000, 972 million adults globally were dealing with hypertension
(Kearney et al, 2005). According to global research, the U.S has a 21% rate of hypertension for
men and a 19.7% rate for women (Kearney et al, 2005). These statistics show that high blood
pressure is clearly a global health issue that must receive adequate attention from all stakeholders
in health. Fortunately, hypertension is a manageable condition for many of the afflicted. Despite
the great impact, it has on a person’s life, many of the afflicted lack the necessary information
and tools to understand the condition, its causes and types of treatment. This work reviews a
recent article concerning the amount of knowledge that patients with hypertension have
concerning the condition.
Overview of the Research Problem
The authors of this article’s research problem were about the level of knowledge that
hypertension sufferers have concerning their condition. The researchers wanted to identify the
, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE KNOWLEDGE AMONG PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS WITH
KNOWN HYPERTENSION: A NORTH CAROLINA FAMILY MEDICINE RESEARCH
NETWORK (NC-FM-RN) STUDY 2
groups of people with less knowledge concerning the disease as well as find out if there were
disparities in knowledge in relation to race. Their approach varies from previous attempts as they
focus on the information levels in different groups. The authors postulate that the knowledge that
patients suffering from high blood pressure is low even with advances in spreading awareness
about the condition. The researchers support their statement through a statistical analysis of
collected data from questionnaires.
Objectives
The researchers had several aims in relation to the question concerning knowledge about
hypertension. The researchers’ initial aim was to show that there is a gap in information
acquisition among patients with hypertension. The primary objective of the research was to
assess the knowledge of primary care patients in North Carolina concerning the condition. This
information includes the importance of lowering blood pressure, methods of treatment, impact of
hypertension on the body among other relevant information. Another aim was to discover if there
were any variations in the level of knowledge concerning high blood pressure among different
groups in terms of race, age and economic statuses. The final objective was to discover the
factors contributing to this lack of knowledge.
Evaluation of the Research Method
The authors do not provide a literature review for their research paper. A review would
have been beneficial in providing background information about the condition and its treatments.
In addition, it would have enabled a simple method of understanding past research into the same
question. However, it is clear that this problem has not undergone much research or analysis
PATIENTS WITH KNOWN HYPERTENSION: A NORTH CAROLINA FAMILY
MEDICINE RESEARCH NETWORK (NC-FM-RN) STUDY 1
High Blood Pressure Knowledge among Primary Care Patients with Known Hypertension: A
North Carolina Family Medicine Research Network (NC-FM-RN) Study
Introduction
High blood pressure or hypertension refers to abnormal levels of pressure in the body’s
arteries. This high pressure forces the heart to pump harder than is healthy and increases the risks
of, arterial damage, heart strain, strokes and heart failure among other serious illnesses. In fact, it
is one of the major factors influencing cardiovascular diseases globally with instances of children
increasing. According to George et al, prevalence for hypertension among adolescents is at 14%
(George et al, 2014). The prevalence of the high blood pressure worldwide is quite high with
statistics indicating that in 2000, 972 million adults globally were dealing with hypertension
(Kearney et al, 2005). According to global research, the U.S has a 21% rate of hypertension for
men and a 19.7% rate for women (Kearney et al, 2005). These statistics show that high blood
pressure is clearly a global health issue that must receive adequate attention from all stakeholders
in health. Fortunately, hypertension is a manageable condition for many of the afflicted. Despite
the great impact, it has on a person’s life, many of the afflicted lack the necessary information
and tools to understand the condition, its causes and types of treatment. This work reviews a
recent article concerning the amount of knowledge that patients with hypertension have
concerning the condition.
Overview of the Research Problem
The authors of this article’s research problem were about the level of knowledge that
hypertension sufferers have concerning their condition. The researchers wanted to identify the
, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE KNOWLEDGE AMONG PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS WITH
KNOWN HYPERTENSION: A NORTH CAROLINA FAMILY MEDICINE RESEARCH
NETWORK (NC-FM-RN) STUDY 2
groups of people with less knowledge concerning the disease as well as find out if there were
disparities in knowledge in relation to race. Their approach varies from previous attempts as they
focus on the information levels in different groups. The authors postulate that the knowledge that
patients suffering from high blood pressure is low even with advances in spreading awareness
about the condition. The researchers support their statement through a statistical analysis of
collected data from questionnaires.
Objectives
The researchers had several aims in relation to the question concerning knowledge about
hypertension. The researchers’ initial aim was to show that there is a gap in information
acquisition among patients with hypertension. The primary objective of the research was to
assess the knowledge of primary care patients in North Carolina concerning the condition. This
information includes the importance of lowering blood pressure, methods of treatment, impact of
hypertension on the body among other relevant information. Another aim was to discover if there
were any variations in the level of knowledge concerning high blood pressure among different
groups in terms of race, age and economic statuses. The final objective was to discover the
factors contributing to this lack of knowledge.
Evaluation of the Research Method
The authors do not provide a literature review for their research paper. A review would
have been beneficial in providing background information about the condition and its treatments.
In addition, it would have enabled a simple method of understanding past research into the same
question. However, it is clear that this problem has not undergone much research or analysis
