Open AccessBehavioral Interventions to Improve Hypertension Control in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System
Author(s) -
Zullig Leah L.,
Bosworth Hayden B.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the journal of clinical hypertension
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1751-7176
pISSN - 1524-6175
DOI - 10.1111/jch.12423
Subject(s) - medicine , psychological intervention , veterans affairs , health care , intervention (counseling) , healthcare system , disease management , medline , family medicine , nursing , alternative medicine , health management system , pathology , political science , law , economics , economic growth
Hypertension is a common and costly disease among US veterans. The V eterans A ffairs ( VA ) healthcare system is the largest integrated healthcare provider in the United States and reviewing hypertension interventions developed in the VA may inform interventions delivered in other integrated healthcare systems. This review describes behavioral interventions to improve hypertension control that have been conducted in the VA since 1970. The authors identified 27 articles representing 15 behavioral interventional trials. Studies were heterogeneous across patients, providers, interventionist, and intervention components. The VA bridges services related to diagnosis, treatment, medication management, and behavioral counseling in a unified approach that supports collaboration and provides infrastructure for hypertension management.