How Technology, Care Coordination, and the Utilization of Community Resources can be Applied in Addressing the Problem

Technologies such as electronic health records, telemedicine, and wearables can help to enhance the quality of care given to hypertensive patients. Electronic health records ensure that healthcare professionals have patient medical information that can be used to improve the quality of care (Schopf et al., 2019). This patient information can also be used to assess the clinical decisions on the best strategies for managing hypertension. Telemedicine can be used in remote patient monitoring and patient education (Omboni et al., 2016). This will reduce healthcare costs and improve patient engagement. Improved patient engagement will result in better self-management. These technologies enhance patient self-reliance, which will result in better control of hypertension. In addition to these, they will reduce hospital visits and, hence, the cost of healthcare services related to hypertension.

Care coordination and the use of community resources are critical in addressing the burden of hypertension. Socioeconomic factors of communities affect the control of hypertension. It is thus critical to implement proper care coordination and effectively use community resources to manage hypertension. Proper coordination will involve looking for gyms, transport, accommodation, farmers’ markets, and hospitals to ensure proper management of hypertension. A good relationship between the patient, nurses, and community leaders will help educate the community on hypertension. Nurses can use schools and churches in the community to educate patients on non-pharmacological interventions to manage hypertension.  The patients can also be referred to websites such as the American Heart Association, which will offer more information on hypertension management.

References

Ayeleke, R. O., Dunham, A., North, N., & Wallis, K. (2018). The concept of leadership in the health care sector. Leadership. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76133