Exploring the Effects of Health Education and Chronic Disease Management Nursing in the Management of Hypertension in Elderly Patients in the Community

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effects of health education and chronic disease management nursing in elderly community patients with hypertension, in order to provide scientific evidence for improving the health management level of these patients. Methods: Sixty-four elderly hypertension patients treated at this hospital between March 2022 and March 2024 were selected and randomly divided into two groups, with 32 patients in each group. One group received conventional management, designated as the control group, while the other group received a combined management strategy involving health education and chronic disease management, designated as the experimental group. The study compared the management outcomes of the two groups to evaluate the value of the combined management approach in elderly hypertensive patients in the community. Results: The study found that the experimental group showed significantly lower systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and scores on the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) compared to the control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Additionally, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher scores in disease cognition levels regarding awareness of normal blood pressure ranges, prevention of complications, identification of high-risk factors, and healthy lifestyle practices, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Moreover, the experimental group showed significantly better rates of self-management behaviors, such as quitting smoking and alcohol, self-monitoring of blood pressure, dietary control, regular medication adherence, and consistent exercise, compared to the control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study indicates that a combined management model integrating health education and chronic disease management effectively improves the emotional state of elderly hypertensive patients in the community, significantly enhances their disease cognition levels, and boosts their self-management abilities. Furthermore, this model can effectively lower patients’ blood pressure, thereby achieving better health management outcomes for elderly hypertensive patients in the community.