Hypertension and Blood Pressure Reading Essay

Submitted By ciidama
Words: 2618
Pages: 11

Contents Page
Introduction……………………………………………………………...2
Case study ……………………………………………………………...2
Medications …………………………………………………………….3
Professional issues …………………………………………………...4
Appendix ……………………………………………………………….5

Non - Prescribe Medicine
The purpose of this report is to explore a case study that involves a medical condition and two appropriate treatment used with regards to the seven principles of good prescribing. The author will discuss an experience gained during clinical placement referring to the care and management of an elderly patient over the age of 65 with high blood pressure. The essay begins by briefly introducing the practice area, ensuring that confidentiality is maintained throughout the study. This is important since the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Confidentiality (2008) states that all the names of the patients and the staff should be held anonymous in order to respect the confidentiality of the patient and staff.
Case Study
In this report, the author will discuss and reflect on her own experience working with a 65 year old male patient with severe hypertension (High blood pressure) the patient was admitted to the hospital due to severely raised blood pressure of 195 systolic and 110 diastolic, in order to obtain accurate measurement, the systolic and diastolic blood pressures of patient were obtained from the patient’s right arm with the patient in a seated position and the blood pressure reading was as high as mentioned above, he was therefore seen by a doctor who prescribed an appropriate medication. Based on the patient’s medical history and information gained during the hospital admission, the author established that the patient had a family history of blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases which probably contributed to the patient’s condition despite his age.
Conditions
According to Drake (2010) hypertension is a condition where the blood pressure is constantly over 140/90 mmHg. This condition is asymptomatic and one of the preventable causes premature morbidity and mortality in United Kingdom (UK). It is one of the major risk factors of cardiovascular events and acute kidney failure. National Institute and Clinical Excellent (NICE) (2011) stated that hypertension is remarkably common in the (UK) and the incidence is strongly influenced by age, ethnicity and one’s lifestyle. High blood pressure is common, with 40% of adults in England having the condition, besides the number of individuals who have hypertension increases with age.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) (2012) pointed out that in 95% of cases; there is no single identifiable reason for a raise in blood pressure. However, all obtainable evidence demonstrates that one’s lifestyle plays a significant role in regulating individual’s blood pressure.
Medications
The purpose of using medication for hypertension is to control the blood pressure and reduce any further cardiovascular risks. It is very essential to carry out a holistic approach to the condition before considering the appropriate treatment available for the condition. For example it is imperative to establish whether the patient requires the treatment regime to be commenced or if life style change measures should to be considered in order to reduce blood pressure and the cardiovascular risks (NICE 2011).
According to Bukhari and Kearney (2009) there are five main classes of medicines used for the treatment of hypertension which all work to decrease the blood pressure by different mechanism. According to the NICE guidelines (2011) the first line treatment for hypertension in patients who are younger than 55 and non-black will be ACE-inhibitors (i.e. ramipril) or beta-blockers (atenalol) and low dose of diuretic (thiazide i.e. Bendroflumethiazide (National British Formulary, 2011). However, patients who are either or older than 55 years and black, should be given calcium channel blocker or diuretic (thiazide i.e.