Objectives: Currently in Ghana, there is an on-going task-shifting strategy in which nurses are trained in hypertension management. While this study will provide useful information on the viability of this approach, it is not clear how patients in the intervention perceive hypertension, the task-shifting strategy, and its effects on blood pressure management. The objective of this paper is to examine patients’ perceptions of hypertension and hypertension management in the context of an on-going task-shifting intervention to manage blood pressure control in Ghana.
Design: Forty-two patients participating in the Task Shifting Strategy for Hypertension program (23 males, 19 females, and mean age 61. 7 years) completed in-depth, qualitative interviews. Interviews were transcribed, and key words and phrases were extracted and coded using the PEN-3 Cultural Model as a guide through open and axial coding techniques, thus allowing rich exploration of the data.
Results: Emergent themes included patients’ perceptions of hypertension, which encompassed misperceptions of hypertension and blood pressure control. Additional themes included enablers and barriers to hypertension management, and how the intervention nurtured lifestyle change associated with blood pressure control. Primary enabling factors included the supportive nature of TASSH nurses, while notable barriers were financial constraints and difficulty accessing medication. Nurturing factors included the motivational interviewing and patient counseling which instilled confidence in the patients that they could make lasting behavior changes.
Conclusions: This study offers a unique perspective of blood pressure control by examining how patients view an on-going task-shifting initiative for hypertension management. The results of this study shed light on factors that can help and hinder individuals in low-resource settings with long-term blood pressure management. 相似文献
Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) has become the most commonly performed antireflux procedure since its introduction
in 1991. There are few studies with greater than 5-year outcomes. Herein we report a series of 312 consecutive patients who
underwent primary LNF before 1996. Follow-up of more than 6 years was available in 166 patients, and the mean follow-up was
11 years (median 11.1 years, range 6.1–13.3 years). Prospective data collection included preoperative and current symptom
scores (scale 0 = none to 3 = severe), as well as the level of patient satisfaction and use of antireflux medications. Total
symptom score for each patient was summed from seven symptoms for a maximum value of 21. Heartburn and regurgitation were
the most improved symptoms; however, all symptoms were significantly improved (P < 0.01). The total symptom score at follow-up was 2.6 down from 7.5 at baseline, with a mean difference of −4.9 (range −12
to 3). The percentage of patients stating they would have the procedure again was 93.3%, and 70% were off daily antireflux
medications. Outcomes at a mean of 11 years after LNF are excellent, and the majority of patients had their symptoms resolved
or significantly improved and are satisfied with their results.
Presented at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, May 22, 2006, Los Angeles, CA 相似文献
Recent evidence suggests that cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is a mediator of angiogenesis, and COX-2 activity is known to be upregulated in the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovium. We examined whether mediation of angiogenesis by COX-2 was occuring in cells of the RA synovium and in microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) that are similar to those found in the RA synovium. We demonstrate that rofecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, acts directly on human dermal microvascular ECs (HMVECs) to inhibit their chemotactic and tube forming ability. Likewise, pretreatment of HMVECs with rofecoxib significantly inhibited their ability to form tubes induced by conditioned media (CM) of activated RA synovial fibroblasts. When RA synovial fibroblasts were pretreated with rofecoxib for 16 h and then stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1beta, their CM induced significantly less HMVEC tube formation when compared with CM from vehicle-treated RA synovial fibroblasts. ELISAs performed on activated RA fibroblast CM for known proangiogenic factors demonstrated a significant reduction in bFGF, in addition to the expected decrease in PGE(2). Our studies suggest that COX-2-induced angiogenic activity is an active mechanism within diseased synovium and may provide an additional rationale for the use of COX-2 inhibitors in RA. 相似文献
The reaction of the potassium salt of acrylic acid with the potassium salt of a dicarboxylic acid and 1,4-dibromobutane was applied to the synthesis of three series of acrylate-terminated copolyesters: poly(tetramethylene maleate-co-tetramethylene phthalate) (BMPA), poly(tetramethylene fumarate-co-tetramethylenephthalate) (BFPA) and poly(tetramethylene phthalate-co-tetramethylene succinate) (BPSA). The monofunctional monomer, the potassium salt of acrylic acid, was used for the introduction of double bonds at the end of the chains and for the regulation of the molecular weight of the polyesters. The telechelic copolyesters were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, in almost all cases providing an acrylate functionality of two. 相似文献
We identified dish-based dietary patterns for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and assessed the diet quality of each pattern. Dietary data were obtained from 392 Japanese adults aged 20–69 years in 2013, using a 4 d dietary record. K-means cluster analysis was conducted based on the amount of each dish group, separately for breakfasts (n = 1462), lunches (n = 1504), and dinners (n = 1500). The diet quality of each dietary pattern was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) and Nutrient-Rich Food Index 9.3 (NRF9.3). The extracted dietary patterns were as follows: ‘bread-based’ and ‘rice-based’ for breakfast; ‘bread’, ‘rice-based’, ‘ramen’, ‘udon/soba’, and ‘sushi/rice bowl dishes’ for lunch; and ‘miscellaneous’, ‘meat dish and beer’, and ‘hot pot dishes’ for dinner. For breakfast, the HEI-2015 and NRF9.3 total scores were higher in the ‘rice-based’ pattern than the ‘bread-based’ pattern. For lunch, the HEI-2015 and NRF9.3 total scores were relatively high in the ‘rice-based’ pattern and low in the ‘ramen’ pattern. For dinner, the HEI-2015 total score was the highest in the ‘meat dish and beer’ pattern, and the NRF9.3 total score was higher in the ‘hot pot dishes’ than the ‘miscellaneous’ pattern. These results suggested that breakfast, lunch, and dinner have distinctive dietary patterns with different diet qualities. 相似文献