title: Benefits of the implementation of structured educational program in hypertension management.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of patients' education on treatment compliance and blood pressure (BP) control, as well as lifestyle in hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  Education with the structured program was performed in 89 patients with essential hypertension. The patients knowledge level was determined using a special questionnaire with 26 questions. The regularity of BP self-control and drug treatment were assessed before and after the educational course as well as after 6-months of follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The knowledge level increased after education from 58 +/- 12% up to 92 +/- 11% (p < 0.05), the proportion of patients on regular medication from 34.4% to 74.2% (p < 0.05). Sixty (67.4%) of patients started to perform regular BP self-control. The improvement of knowledge level and treatment compliance was not accompanied by significant changes in lifestyle such as smoking cessation and body weight loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The structured patients' education resulted in the increase of patients' knowledge, improvement of drug compliance and self-monitoring of BP. Modification of lifestyle appears to be more problematic point as it did not show any significant improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Faculty Therapy, St. Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University, St. Petersburg 197089, Lev Tolstoy str 6/8, Russia. aconrady@spmu.rssi.ru
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Konrady
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Brodskaya
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Soboleva
authors.forename: Y V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Polunicheva
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D012907:Smoking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires