Assessing the Problem- Leadership Collaboration Communication Change Management and Policy Considerations
Hypertension is a medical condition where the patient has elevated high blood pressure readings above the normal range (Singh et al., 2017). Hypertension is a common healthcare issue in the healthcare delivery industry. If the blood pressure levels are not controlled, they can cause serious complications to individuals. Some healthcare complications related to hypertension include stroke, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and death (Singh et al., 2017). Controlling blood pressure within the normal ranges is critical in reducing cardiovascular complications. Hypertension can be controlled by both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions (Kitt et al., 2019). There are many risk factors associated with hypertension. They include diabetes, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, genetics, excessive alcohol use, and obesity, among others (Singh et al., 2017).
The field of medicine has advanced strategies to ensure that hypertension and its related complications. Despite these strides, hypertension control is still low. Close to 116 million adults in the United States have hypertension, with 45% having uncontrolled hypertension (CDC, 2020). It is one of the leading causes of mortalities in the United States. Many clinical guidelines have shown that pharmacotherapy is critical in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with hypertension (Kitt et al., 2019). However, failure to adhere to antihypertensive treatment can increase the risk of cardiovascular events. It can increase the risk of developing stroke at any point in life, especially for elderly patients (Kitt et al., 2019). It is thus critical to implement strategies and educate the general public on the dangers of hypertension and strategies that can be implemented to prevent and reduce hypertension. This is because the failure of patients to observe and adhere to treatment strategies will lead to poor control of hypertension. Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com. We offer assignment help with high professionalism.
Hypertension is an interesting subject for me as a registered nurse since it is a common healthcare problem. I see most patients get diagnosed with hypertension in my nursing unit. An individual of particular interest to me is Mr. Daniels, a 70-year-old African American who has one wife and two children. This patient has a history of diabetes, obesity, tobacco use, excessive alcoholism, coronary heart disease, and a recent stroke that paralyzed his left side of the body. Apart from pharmacological interventions that were prescribed for this patient, he was also advised on non-pharmacological interventions such as diet and physical activity. Combining these strategies has proven to be effective in controlling hypertension (Kitt et al., 2019). The lifestyle modifications that this patient can implement include alcohol intake reduction, stress reduction, quitting cigarette smoking, weight loss, and exercise.
Peer-Reviewed Literature
Lifestyle modifications have been proven to be very effective tools in controlling hypertension in patients. Lifestyle modifications mean that an individual shift from their traditional behaviors to ensure they meet their therapeutic goals. Common lifestyle modifications that can help patients achieve their therapeutic goals include eating a healthy diet, physical activity, weight loss, stress reduction, smoke cessation, and reduced alcohol intake. A study was conducted by Yang et al. (2017) to determine the effect of lifestyle modifications in hypertension control. The study has 1139 participants who had hypertension. The lifestyle of the study participants includes alcohol use, tobacco smoking, excessive salt consumption, and physical activity. These factors were then evaluated.
The study aimed to identify and evaluate lifestyle changes in patients diagnosed with hypertension. It aimed to assess how lifestyle changes are linked to blood pressure monitoring in patients with hypertension. The study explored medication adherence, physical activity, alcohol consumption, salt intake, weight, and blood pressure readings at the fourth, eighth, and twelfth weeks. At the end of this study, physical activity and reduction of salt consumption were linked to successful blood pressure control. The study opined that dietary modifications that help in blood pressure control include low dietary sodium, low alcohol intake, effective weight loss strategies, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, milk products, legumes, and low-fat content. At the end of eighteen months, the researchers followed up with the study participants, and there was a further reduction of blood pressure readings (Yang et al., 2017).
Magobe et al. (2017) has shown that physical activity is a crucial lifestyle modification in controlling blood pressure readings and improving patients’ quality of life. This study showed that 10-30 minutes of physical activity at least thrice a week is beneficial in controlling blood pressure readings. The study participants were aged between 41 to 80 years. They had been diagnosed with hypertension for ten years. This study evaluated the effects of lifestyle interventions in controlling hypertension. The study results further proved that lifestyle modifications are a successful strategy in controlling blood pressure readings within healthy ranges. This reduces the risk of progression to cardiovascular complications in patients who adhere to proposed lifestyle modifications by 21% (Magobe et al., 2017).
The evidence from the discussed literature is valid for my nursing practice. This is because, in my nursing units, many patients are admitted with uncontrolled hypertension who sometimes suffer from stroke or have a hypertensive crisis. Upon assessment and history taking, it was revealed that these patients do not follow the lifestyle modifications recommended to them by their primary care physicians and cardiologists. Failure to adhere to lifestyle modifications can become a barrier to effective hypertension management (Kitt et al., 2019). Healthcare professionals can use the health belief model to encourage patients to adopt lifestyle modifications to help in hypertension management. The health belief model will involve providing the patients with therapeutic goals, helping patients to make healthy choices, and encouraging the patients to strengthen their decision-making and resolve any barriers they may face when adopting lifestyle changes (Drevenhom, 2018). This model can be successfully integrated into treating patients with hypertension. It will allow these patients to be in charge of their health care and make decisions that positively impact their healthcare outcomes.
State Board Nursing Practice Standards and Government Policies
There are many state nursing boards that streamline nursing operations across the country. These nursing boards implement and enforce different policies. An example of such a nursing board is the Maryland Board of Nursing. This Board aims to protect and enhance the safety and welfare of Maryland residents by ensuring that licensed nurses offer nursing services in the state. Nurse practitioners must thus be aware of the Nursing Practice Act and provide nursing services that comply with practice requirements (Maryland Board of Nursing, 2020).
A government policy that can influence hypertension is the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This is an act that was enacted into law by former President Obama. The act has three main goals. The act aimed to make health insurance available to more people, expand the Medicaid program and support the implementation of medical care models which reduce health costs (Courtemanche et al., 2017). This act is critical in hypertension. Nurses can use this act to implement care models to reduce healthcare costs and improve healthcare outcomes in hypertension. They can implement preventive care delivery models, which can help prevent the progression of hypertension to complications that increase morbidity and mortality. This act will also enable many hypertensive patients to access healthcare services at a more affordable cost. This will help nurses to implement quality healthcare services early enough to prevent complications related to hypertension.
Leadership Strategies
Nurses must be effective leaders to influence patient-centered care, enhance healthcare outcomes and promote teamwork. Effective leadership improves employee engagement and reduces burnouts (Hargett et al., 2017). Nurse leaders must ethically and effectively influence their subordinates to benefit their patients. Care for patients diagnosed with hypertension is coordinated by nurses. These nurses are tasked with implementing patient-centered which meets the needs and values of the patient. Teamwork is critical in ensuring that these patients get the care they deserve. A good nurse leader should be democratic and promote teamwork and engagement. The multidisciplinary team will include physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, and patients. Healthcare leaders should be aware of the current nursing evidence to enhance patient healthcare outcomes. Nurses are such healthcare leaders.
In conclusion, hypertension is a complex healthcare problem affecting millions of American adults. This is a condition defined by elevated blood pressure levels above the normal range. I selected this problem since I have seen many patients admitted with uncontrolled hypertension in my unit. Peer-reviewed literature has proved that lifestyle interventions such as dietary modifications, physical activity, and weight can help control hypertension. Nurses can thus educate patients to implement these strategies to help them control their blood pressure readings. Some of the policies that can impact hypertension care are the state boards of nursing and the Affordable Care Act. Finally, effective leadership is critical to enhancing teamwork and implementing patient-centered care to enhance patient outcomes.
References
CDC. (2020, September 8). Facts about hypertension. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm
Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., & Zapata, D. (2017). Early effects of the Affordable Care Act on health care access, risky health behaviors, and self-assessed health. https://doi.org/10.3386/w23269
Drevenhorn, E. (2018). A proposed middle-range theory of nursing in hypertension care. International Journal of Hypertension, 2018, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2858253
Hargett, C., Doty, J., Hauck, J., Webb, A., Cook, S., Tsipis, N., Neumann, J., Andolsek, K., & Taylor, D. (2017). Developing a model for effective leadership in healthcare: A concept mapping approach. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 9, 69-78. https://doi.org/10.2147/jhl.s141664
Kitt, J., Fox, R., Tucker, K. L., & McManus, R. J. (2019). New approaches in hypertension management: A review of current and developing technologies and their potential impact on hypertension care. Current Hypertension Reports, 21(6). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-019-0949-4
Magobe, N. B., Poggenpoel, M., & Myburgh, C. (2017). Experiences of patients with hypertension at primary health care in facilitating own lifestyle change of regular physical exercise. Curationis, 40(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/curationis.v40i1.1679
Maryland Board of Nursing. (2020). Nurse Practice Act. https://www.mbon.maryland.gov
Singh, S., Shankar, R., & Singh, G. P. (2017). Prevalence and associated risk factors of hypertension: A cross-sectional study in urban Varanasi. International Journal of Hypertension, 2017, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5491838
Yang, M. H., Kang, S. Y., Lee, J. A., Kim, Y. S., Sung, E. J., Lee, K., Kim, J., Oh, H. J., Kang, H. C., & Lee, S. Y. (2017). Correction: The effect of lifestyle changes on blood pressure control among hypertensive patients. Korean Journal of Family Medicine, 38(5), 311. https://doi.org/10.4082/
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Question 
Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to your practice.
Summarize the problem you’ll explore.
Identify the patient, family, or group you intend to work with during your practicum.
Provide context, data, or information that substantiates the presence of the problem and its significance and relevance to the patient, family, or population.
Assessing the Problem- Leadership Collaboration Communication Change Management and Policy Considerations
Explain why this problem is relevant to your practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse.
Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
Note whether the authors provide supporting evidence from the literature that’s consistent with what you see in your nursing practice.
Explain how you would know if the data are unreliable.
Describe what the literature says about barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice in addressing the problem you’ve defined.
Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of nursing standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.
Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
Describe what the literature says about a nursing theory or conceptual framework that might frame and guide your actions during your practicum.
Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of these standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.
Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
Describe the effects of local, state, and federal policies or legislation on your nursing scope of practice, within the context of this problem.
Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
Discuss research on the effectiveness of leadership strategies.
Define the role that you anticipate leadership must play in addressing the problem.
Describe collaboration and communication strategies that you anticipate will be needed to address the problem.
Describe the change management strategies that you anticipate will be required to address the problem.
Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or group in the Core Elms Volunteer Experience Form.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.
Additional Requirements
Format: Format your paper using APA style. APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] is provided to help you in writing and formatting your paper. Be sure to include:
A title page and reference page. An abstract is not required.
Appropriate section headings.
Length: Your paper should be approximately 5–7 pages in length, not including the reference page.
Supporting evidence: Cite at least five sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your central ideas. Resources should be no more than five years old. Provide in-text citations and references in APA format.
Proofreading: Proofread your paper, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on its substance.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria: