Self-management approaches among hypertensive residents in nursing homes in Malaysia

Introduction: The prevalence of hypertension in Malaysia is increasing and an effective management of hypertension is important to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Objective: To determine the knowledge, awareness and perception towards hypertension among residents in nursing homes as well as the roles of caregivers in hypertension management.

Methods: A face-to-face survey with 200 hypertensive residents and 30 caregivers from 24 nursing homes in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia was conducted.

Results: Of all the hypertensive residents, 90.5% (n= 181) knew that lowering their blood pressure could improve their health. Most residents strongly believed that taking antihypertensive drugs is important for keeping their high blood pressure under control (n= 162, 81%). Taking medication was perceived as the most important factor in controlling the high blood pressure (58%,n= 116) compared to lifestyle or diet modification. The majority of the caregivers reported that they played a major role in managing hypertension, especially with regards to medication-taking. task (66.7%,n= 20).

Conclusion: The knowledge, attitude and perceptions of hypertension play a relatively major role in the self-management of hypertension. The role of caregivers also needed to be recognised in managing hypertension in nursing homes.