How Care Coordination and Use of Community Resources Can Address Hypertension
Team-based healthcare, which uses evidence-based strategies, is essential in the management of hypertension. Interprofessional collaboration involves different professionals such as physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and patients to improve blood pressure management, enhance patient engagement, and improve the quality of care (Lee et al., 2021). Interprofessional collaboration also reduces healthcare costs. Interprofessional collaboration in hypertension management is an organizational approach that facilitates the improvement of healthcare quality, increased patient satisfaction, and reduced healthcare costs (Lee et al., 2021). In a multidisciplinary team, care is patient-centered. The patient is at the center of the care team. The different members of the team have defined roles, and they complement each other. The roles of the multidisciplinary team include diagnosis, patient follow-up, drug administration, medication adherence, and self-management (Lee et al., 2021).
Effective communication in a multidisciplinary team enhances care coordination and improves the quality of care that patients receive (Lee et al., 2021). The multidisciplinary team promotes patient engagement and educates them on the importance of hypertension management. A systematic review and meta-analysis of many studies have proved the efficacy of interprofessional collaboration in managing hypertension (Lee et al., 2021). Nursing and pharmacy care have helped lower blood pressure readings and the attainment of therapeutic goals. The meta-analysis has shown that multidisciplinary teams are linked with improved patient satisfaction, lower hospitalization rates, and enhanced quality of care (Lee et al., 2021).
Many community resources that patients with hypertension can use to improve their wellness, self-management, and health status. These resources can also help improve the coping strategies for hypertensive patients. One such resource is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. This community resource gives regular information on hypertension management (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2021). This will enhance patients’ hypertension literacy. Patient literacy will improve healthcare outcomes. The second community resource that patients can use is the American Heart Association. Through its website, patients can get critical healthcare information and non-pharmacological strategies that can be used to improve healthcare outcomes in hypertension (American Heart Association, 2021).
Some of the barriers that can prevent the full use of community resources include a lack of follow-up and financial constraints that may prevent hypertensive patients from accessing the available community resources. Furthermore, patients may not be technologically literate to access the websites of the available community resources. Some of the barriers that may impact interprofessional collaboration include poor communication, lack of defined roles, poor medication adherence by patients, and financial constraints (Lee et al., 2021).
State Board Nursing Practice Standards and/or Government Policies
The federal government is tirelessly working to promote the quality of healthcare services, reduce healthcare costs, and increase access to healthcare services. The Texas Board of Nursing guides nurses on how to practice within their scope. This board ensures that nurses strictly adhere to the nursing Code of Ethics and stipulates nursing education, licensure, certification, and practice (Texas Board of Nursing, 2021). Evidence-based practice has been adopted to enhance the quality of care for hypertensive patients. The nursing Code of Ethics guides nurses on how to provide patient care and interact with a multidisciplinary healthcare team (Butts & Rich, 2019). Due to increasing patient demands in hypertension, nurses should be certified as cardiology nurses by their respective boards of nursing.
The Affordable Care Act promotes the implementation of patient-centered care (Griffith & Bor, 2020). This care promotes the implementation of value-based care instead of traditional volume-based care. This has promoted the implementation of preventive care, which can help in hypertension prevention and control. The American population is increasingly aging; hence, a preventive approach to care is fundamental. Another policy affecting care coordination and technology use is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA was enacted to promote the privacy of patient information (Cohen & Mello, 2018). This act stipulates guidelines on the use and dissemination of patient information. It establishes penalties for violating the sections of this act. This law is important to all healthcare professionals who use technology and are part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team.
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