Hypertensive Black Men's Perceptions of a Nurse Protocol for Medication Self-Administration.

Abstract

A factor contributing to uncontrolled hypertension in older persons is medication nonadherence. Older Black men in a rural cardiology clinic were not taking blood pressure medication as prescribed resulting in uncontrolled hypertension. A nurse protocol to assist with self-administration of hypertensive medication was proposed to address the problem. This qualitative key informant study identified a purposive sample of 10 hypertensive Black men who were 65-70 years of age and nonadherent in taking their medication. The nurse conducted teaching sessions using the protocol to review evidence-based strategies for improving medication adherence. A follow-up phone call was done after 1 week. Participants were interviewed about their perceptions of taking hypertensive medication. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded for themes using constant comparative analysis. Six themes emerged: Medication Bottle Guides Medication Usage, Confusion about Side Effects, Reasons for Not Taking Medications, New Behavior, Unchanged Behavior, and Discovery of Other Problems. The results showed that the nurse-administered protocol resulted in participants' changed attitudes about taking medication.