Intervention

Sessions

Group session 1 (CHEP-1) (week 3)

Group session 2 (CHEP-2) (week 7)

Group session 3 (CHEP-3)

(week 15)

Theme

Patients’ knowledge about hypertension and its management

How patients should cope with hypertension

How patients should cope with hypertension

Session objective(s)

To elicit participants’ ideas about hypertension and treatment; inform them about medical perspective; reach consensus; and establish treatment objectives for next session ? CHEP-2

To explore daily challenges participants face in managing hypertension; how they currently cope with the identified challenges; inform them on how they may cope better; and establish objectives for next session ? CHEP-3

To explore daily challenges participants face in managing hypertension; how they currently cope with the identified challenges, inform them on how they may cope better; and establish how they can continue to deal with the challenges in future

Session duration

2 hours

2 hours, 30 minutes

2 hours, 30 minutes

Protocol instructions

1.1: Hypertension and its management: group discussion (30 minutes)

Themes:

・ What is hypertension?

・ Is hypertension a disease?

・ What are your views about hypertension?

・ What causes hypertension?

・ Who can get hypertension?

・ Is hypertension dangerous, If so, how dangerous is it?

・ Is hypertension curable?

・ How long does hypertension last?

・ How does hypertension present?

・ How did you get your hypertension?

・ What can you do to prevent hypertension?

・ How can hypertension be treated?

・ How is hypertension related to your lifestyle and what you eat?

1.2: What patients can do to manage hypertension: interactive instruction (30 minutes)*

Themes:

・ Take your medications regularly as prescribed

・ Seek support from your family/friends on reminders in taking your drugs regularly and in reducing salt intake

・ Adopt healthy diet (described)

・ Decrease amount of sodium/salt in your diet

・ Stay physically active/exercise regularly

・ Lose excess weight

・ Quit smoking

・ Quit/reduce alcohol intake

・ Quit snuff, Kola nuts

・ Limit exposure to physical/emotional stress

1.3: Addressing what can make hypertension management difficult for patients: group discussion (30 minutes)

2.1: Medication use: group discussion (15 minutes)

・ What challenges do you face?

・ How did you cope?

2.2: Dietary advice/salt: group discussion (15 minutes)

・ What challenges do you face?

・ How did you cope?

2.3: Weight reduction/exercise group discussion (15 minutes)

・ What challenges do you face?

・ How did you cope?

2.4: Attending your follow-up appointments regularly as advised group discussion (15 minutes)

・ What challenges do you face?

・ How did you cope?

2.5: Audiovisual ‘Living positively with hypertension’: Instruction (25 minutes)

・ View and discuss video “living positively with hypertension” and some patient-centred exercise regimes to help coping (35 minutes)

2.6: Simple exercises you can do at home (20 minutes)

・ Poster teaching session (5 minutes)

・ Practical exercise session (15 minutes)

2.7: Individual assignment (10 minutes):

・ Set 3 goals on what you want to achieve before your next CHEP visit to keep your blood pressure controlled (e.g. reduce salt consumption, increase physical activity through exercise)

3.1: Medication use: group discussion (15 minutes)

・ What challenges do you face?

・ How did you cope?

3.2: Dietary advice/salt: group discussion (15 minutes)

・ What challenges do you face?

・ How did you cope?

3.3: Weight reduction/exercise group discussion (15 minutes)

・ What challenges do you face?

・ How did you cope?

3.4: Attending your follow-up appointments regularly as advised group discussion (15 minutes)

・ What challenges do you face?

・ How did you cope?

3.5: Audiovisual ‘Living positively with hypertension’: Instruction (25 minutes)

・ View and discuss video “living positively with hypertension” and some patient-centered exercise regimes to help coping (35 minutes)

3.6: Simple exercises you can do at home (20 minutes)

・ Patient friendly exercise practice sessions using: local activities such as wood cutting, gardening, mortar grinding, drawing water from well, other household chores, farming, biking, brisk walking, leisure activities e.g. drumming, dancing.

3.7: Final closing session (Instructions), 10 minutes

In moving forward:

・ Make the lessons learnt from this program your daily routine for life

・ Take your drugs regularly

・ Exercise daily, regularly

・ Reduce salt intake and adopt healthy diet

・ Attend your follow-up clinic regularly

・ Get needed support from family members/friends in your hypertension self-management efforts