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Effectiveness of a family nurse‐led programme on accuracy of blood pressure self‐measurement: A randomised controlled trial
Author(s) -
Simonetti Valentina,
Comparcini Dania,
Tomietto Marco,
Pavone Daniele,
Flacco Maria Elena,
Cicolini Giancarlo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.15784
Subject(s) - medicine , checklist , physical therapy , randomized controlled trial , blood pressure , clinical trial , intervention (counseling) , consolidated standards of reporting trials , nursing , surgery , psychology , cognitive psychology
Abstract Aims and objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)‐led programme on the degree of adherence of current recommendations on home blood pressure self‐measurement (HBPM) as compared to routine care and management. Background HBPM plays an important role for monitoring hypertensive patients; however, patients’ adherence to current guidelines is unsatisfactory. A nurse‐led training programme in the community setting could be an effective strategy to achieve high level of patients’ adherence to recommendations. Design A multicentre randomised controlled trial was carried out from September 2016 to September 2017. Methods In total, 170 patients were randomly allocated into the intervention group ( n = 83) and the usual care ( n = 87). All participants received usual care (written and verbal information on HBPM recommendations); subjects in the intervention group also received 1‐hour training session on how to correctly self‐measure BP. Clinical trial registration was done (ClinicalTrials.gov.: NCT04681703). The CONSORT checklist for randomised controlled trials was used in this study. Results At baseline, the level of adherence to the recommendation was similar in the two groups ( p < .05). After 1 month, the adherence significantly increased in the intervention group, where patients were more likely to measure BP at the same hour and from the same arm, in a quiet environment, with the back and uncovered arm supported and the legs uncrossed; recording BP more than once in each measurement session; keeping a diary of blood pressure measurements; use of the appropriate cuff and proper placement of the cuff; and resting for >5 min before performing the measurement (all p < .05). Conclusions The FNP‐led programme is effective in improving patients’ adherence to guidelines on the correct technique to self‐measure BP at home. Relevance to clinical practice This programme may be added to the existing interventions in the community setting or considered into specifically nurse‐led hypertension management models.