Controlling Blood Pressure and Preventing Heart Attacks - Essay Example

Controlling Blood Pressure and Preventing Heart Attacks Controlling Blood Pressure and Preventing Heart Attacks The teaching expedition was carried out, for the purpose of educating the people on ways of controlling blood pressure and protecting their bodies from heart attacks. This topic falls under secondary prevention/ screening for vulnerable disease. It was settled upon after rigorous deliberation and research on diseases affecting the target audience. The location of the teaching was the Hindu Kerala Society (HKS), and the target audience was the members of the Hindu Kerala Society, their families and their friends. The teaching session was estimated to last not less than one hour. The occasion was designed to cost effective but very efficient. The estimated cost for the exercise was estimated at $75. Following which, the materials and equipment required were; a blood pressure machine, hand outs, reading materials, slides and a blood pressure recording chart. Before selecting the community to conduct this exercise on, research was done on various communities. The research on the HKS gave light to some shocking statistics. For instance, the percentage of adults aged 20 and over, who had hypertension and were not hospitalized was 33%. This was between 2007 and 2008 (health, USA 2010). Also, the number of ambulatory care visits by the HKS, to physicians, hospital outpatient centers and emergency units put together, with hypertension as the primary diagnosis was 46.3 million. For the individuals under nursing home care, the number of residents reported as having hypertension was 790,300. This number translates to a high of 53% of the entire nursing home population. These statistics were shocking and were prompted the action of this team. The aim was to impart knowledge on ways the ordinary person and medical practitioners can manage the condition. The lesson includes ways of living healthy lifestyle to prevent being victims of the disease. There are a few factors that would leave one vulnerable to getting hypertension. From a nursing diagnosis, these are; age, food habits and lack of exercise. Older people were prone to hypertension as opposed to their younger counterparts. This is due to their lifestyle and the fact that are more likely to get into stressful situations. The food habits of an individual could also influence one’s chances of getting hypertension. Some types of food, such as those fried in oil, are likely to lead to heart disease hence hypertension when consumed without control. These foods lead to accumulation of fat around the blood vessels leading to high blood pressure and hypertension. People who eat healthy foods including having a balanced diet are at lower risk of having hypertension. Also, some of the excess food that people eat is converted to energy which, when left unused is converted to fat under the skin and on muscular tissues. This fat accumulates and may lead to high blood pressure and hypertension. The best way to ensure all metabolic energy is utilized is by exercising regularly. Individuals who do not exercise are more prone to heart conditions and hypertension, as opposed to those who do (www.webmd.com). The teaching exercise went very well with minor inconveniences here-and-there. The venue selected for lesson was tidy and well arranged when we arrived. The audience was easy to work with and was very receptive to the teaching. Their readiness to learn was evident from the beginning. When we arrived, the venue was almost fully packed with only few seats left empty. More people were coming in during the first few minutes as preparation for the lecture was taking place. The turnout was inspiring, showing how prepared they were to learn about the topic. During the lecture, most of the audience focused on the teacher and tried to maintain eye contact. They maintained silence for most of the session except when asking questions. There were very few interruptions which are common in gatherings of this magnitude. They laughed when jokes were cracked to lighten the mood. The questions raised during the session were quite a number. One could tell most of the people present had been affected in one way or the other. They asked questions on how a one could tell if they had hypertension, if the methods to prevent it were full proof and the best ways to care for patients among others. These questions were answered during the process of the lesson. The teaching session was divided into five parts: the lecture, a demonstration, displaying slides, distributing reading materials and finally distributing charts. At the beginning, reading material was handed out to the audience so they have somewhere to refer to. These materials were to be carried home as a reminder and so that they could read it thoroughly. Thereafter, the lecture began with a brief introduction. The force exerted by blood on the blood vessels is called blood pressure. The normal blood pressure is between 80 and 120. High blood pressure or hypertension can be classified in two: stage 1 and stage 2. At stage 1, the blood pressure is between; 140-159 and 90-99 while at stage 2, it ranges between; more then 160 and more than 100. In old people, hypertension ranges between; more than 150 and more than 90. When you realize that your blood pressure is high one should seek a doctor’s opinion. During the lecture, the audience got to know the various ways that a person could make his body prone to heart attacks and hypertension. Some of these were discussed above. Other practices that should be avoided include smoking, taking too much salt in food, too much alcohol consumption, stress, chronic kidney disease, thyroid disorders, adrenal disorders and it might also be genetic. The audience will be educated on the importance of eating healthy and exercising to keep their hearts and blood pressure in check. Using the equipment and materials that brought, the audience will be given a brief demonstration on how to check their own blood pressure. An assistant can be brought to help demonstrate how to use the blood pressure machine. Also, the audience would learn manual ways of checking blood pressure. One has to make sure they are in a quiet place where they are relaxed. They should have loose clothing, after which they roll up a sleeves. Rest one arm on a table at the level of one’s heart with the hand facing up. Using the left arm, find the pulse using the index and middle finger by pressing softly at the inside of the elbow bend. One can also place the arm cuff of the manual monitor in the same area. Then, make sure the cuff is tight enough and make sure the stethoscope head is on top of the artery. Then place the earpieces in the ear and listen. The cuff should be tightened till you hear no beat. For a manual monitor, have the bulb in the right hand and the gauge in the left. Shut the air valve. Inflate till you read about 30 on the gauge. Then release the air and with each beat, the gauge turns 2 to 3 points. As you release, listen for the first beat, the systolic then as the pressure reduces listen for the last beat diastolic (www.webmd.com). After the demonstration, slides will be shown containing different healthy diets and good lifestyles. Here, a PowerPoint presentation was used. Some slides would show statistics of how some practices are directly related to heart attacks and hypertension such as cigarette smoking. Then, just before everyone leaves for their respective home and duties, I hand them charts to record their daily blood pressure. The Healthy People 2020 goal to be used for this exercise is the HDS-16.1. The objective here is to increase the proportion of adults aged 20 years and older who are aware of the early warning symptoms and signs of heart attack and the importance of accessing rapid emergency care by calling 9-1-1 or another emergency number. This objective was selected since the aim of the exercise was to teach the HKS how to control blood pressure and prevent heart attacks. They should also be able to call an emergency number when a person suffers an attack (healthypeople.gov). The main objective of healthy people 2020 is to enhance life expectancy and the quality of life; and to eliminate health disparities between different segments of the population, including those relating to gender, race and ethnicity, education, income, disability, living in rural localities, and sexual orientation. However, controlling the risk factors that lead to heart disease and stroke is still a challenge. Approximately 1 in 3 adults in the USA have high blood pressure. Also, more than half of them do not have it under control. Even though high sodium intake is a known risk factor for high blood pressure, 90% of American adults still consume more than is recommended. This fact contradicts the declaration of Alma-Ata, the Health for All global initiative. In this declaration, the developed countries are healthier than the developing countries, which is not the case. Also the right to health is entitled to everyone yet more than 90% of the adults are unhealthy. The next stage is to develop behavioral objectives in the audience. They should be able to name the different groups of foods and give examples of foods in each group. The audience was encouraged to eat more vegetables, fruits and grains. When asked to choose from the various food groups, a variety of foods, 80% made healthy food choices. They were urged to reduce intake animal products which are high in cholesterol. They could also combine the foods in different easy that suited them. The audience was also urged to do exercises. Some of the audience showed willingness to do follow up checkups. The audience was urged to limit sweets and salt, eat healthy and do some form of daily physical routine. We played a game of bingo with audience, where the answers to the questions were the words on the card. They enjoyed the segmented very much judging by the smiles on their faces. This was to reinforce what they had just learnt. Afterwards, they were put in groups to make posters of the food pyramid. The audience will be evaluated based on their choice of food and how they select food items in the future. They should form a plan for their daily activity and exercise and explain how they will achieve it. For the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching plan, a second meeting has been schedule. This meeting will take place in a month’s times and those who are willing would carry their food charts and blood pressure charts with them. These two charts will be compared with the blood pressure that will be taken at the second meeting. During the second meeting, I will update the audience on new information I have acquired on the subject. I would also answer some of their questions. The potential problems that may come about from teaching include; denial, lack of knowledge and lack of resources by the audience. This can litigated by educating the on the importance of eating healthy food and exercising moderately. They will be provided with reading material to get more information about the matter. At the beginning of the lecture, I would begin with a story to catch the audience attention. I would go over the main points that I talk about so they can understand. Thereafter, I will answer their questions. I will employ the use of non-verbal cues such as pictures, slides, reading materials and food samples to drive my point home. References "Checking Your Blood Pressure at Home."WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. . "Causes of High Blood Pressure: Weight, Diet, Age, and More." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. . "Heart Disease and Stroke." - Healthy People. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. . www.who.int/publications/almaata_declaration_en.pdf Read More