Effects of Telenursing on the Management of Self-care Behaviors in Patients with Chronic Hypertension

Background: The high prevalence of hypertension across the world and its severe effects on various body organs are a major health concern in every community. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of telenursing on the management of self-care behaviors in patients with chronic hypertension. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on two groups with a pretest-posttest. The sample population included 82 patients with hypertensionreferred to comprehensive urban and rural health service centers in Garme city who were initially selected via two-stage cluster sampling and allocated into two groups of intervention and control by  permuted block randomization (six patients in each block) .. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the hypertension self-care profile, and phone follow-up, which was completed at the beginning of the study. The patients received a two-hour training session. The intervention group was followed-up (telenursing) for three months, and the control group received routine care. After the intervention, the questionnaire of self-care in patients with chronic hypertension was completed by both groups. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 25 using the Mann-Whitney U test, paired t-test, and the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: Telenursing increased the mean score of a healthy diet by 1.3 units (P=0.04) and the score of disease management by 1.19 units (P=0.004). However, the intervention had no significant effects on weight (P=0.09), supervision on the awareness of food labeling (P=0.38), and medication regimen (P=0.62). Conclusion: According to the results, it is recommended that this method be used for the management of the disease and dietary habits of patients with chronic hypertension.