Hypertension (HTN) Concept Map

So our patient is admitted to the hospital, and has high blood pressure. Risk factors that led to the hypertension includes obesity, unmanaged stress, and smoking. We would educate this patient to work on weight loss, manage their stress, and stop smoking to help bring their blood pressure down. There isn’t a specific lab to test for hypertension, but instead we check their blood pressure.  Labs were completed on this patient to check other organs because high blood pressure puts strain on the heart and kidneys. This patient had a urinalysis and BMP to see how well kidneys are working. A cardiac panel includes troponins and myoglobin to determine if there is damage to the heart.

This patient is on metoprolol 25 mg PO to help relax the vessels, causing them to dilate, decreasing the blood pressure. Hydralazine 20 mg IV is given prn to quickly bring down the pressure.

Our patient’s first nursing diagnosis is excess nutrients leading to their obesity and high blood pressure. Our nursing interventions include assessing factors that lead to overeating,  educating on food portions, setting goals for weight loss. The outcome for evaluation is that the patient describes appropriate weight loss techniques.

The next nursing diagnosis is ineffective individual coping strategies leading to unmanaged stress. Our nursing interventions include gaining rapport with the patient, provide opportunities to express concerns and feelings, and assisting with constructive problem-solving. Our outcome for evaluation is that the patient will describe a plan for effective coping and stress relief.

Our last nursing diagnosis is knowledge deficit. Our patient doesn’t quite understand why his blood pressure is high or what he can do to help it. Our nursing interventions include providing clear information with regards to the techniques that help them learn. For example, they may learn best from pictures or videos. We will keep the information short and to the point, and consider the patient’s literacy skills. The outcome for evaluation is that the patient will express an understanding of what hypertension is and how they can help decrease their blood pressure. 

Here is a cleaned up version of our concept map. 

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