Self-Care Experiences in Persons with Hypertension

Abstract

The self-care experience among persons with hypertension is important to help healthcare personnel understand their perceptions and understandings about hypertension and self-care to control their blood pressure levels. The aim of this qualitative research was to describe the self-care experiences of persons with hypertension. Twenty informants were purposively selected according to the inclusion criterion of being aged between 35 and 60 years old.  Data were collected from June, 2017 to May, 2018 using in-depth interviews, observations, and field notes. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The study results revealed that the self-care experiences of persons with hypertension can be divided into three themes. The first theme, which is their perception of hypertension, is sub-divided into two sub-categories including the perception that 1) it’s a silent danger and 2) it’s not scary because it can happen to anyone. The second theme is related to the cause of hypertension, which has been sub-divided into three categories including: 1) family disease, 2) eating behaviors, and 3) lack of knowledge. The third theme related to the self-care of patients with hypertension and was sub-divided into three categories including: 1) observation and self-management of symptoms, 2) choice to live strictly or more flexible within the Hypertension self-care guidelines, and 3) seeking or using alternative treatments. These findings can be used as baseline data for developing a model for educating patients with hypertension about self-care.