title: Hypertension among the uninsured: tensions and challenges.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the experience of living with hypertension (HTN) in uninsured Southern, Appalachian adults who receive care in a nurse practitioner-run clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus groups with 16 clients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Living with hypertension encompassed living with many tensions and challenges. It was described by five organizing themes, each of which involved two basic themes held in tension. The organizing themes were: (a) centrality of HTN; (b) controllability of HTN; (c) visibility of HTN, (d) accessibility and quality of health care; and (e) existential reality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventions are needed to help clients deal with the tensions and challenges; these include a greater focus on partnering with clients, individual and group educational activities, and developing community partnerships.
authors.affiliation: Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, USA. Pam.Schlomann@eku.edu
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schlomann
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Virgin
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmitke
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001061:Appalachian Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013637:Tape Recording; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult