The Lived Experiences Of Patients Who Are Diagnosed With Hypertension In The Oshana Region In Northern Namibia

ABSTRACT

The effects of hypertension are cumulative with regard to its negative influence on

the organ system in the body. Equipped with the right knowledge, a person can

either prevent or slow down these cumulative effects or adapt to the changing life

styles. An afflicted person can adapt to his/her condition and make certain life style

changes which must be maintained permanently. A person’s success in adhering to

the necessary adjustments will depend to a certain extent on how he or she

experiences the life style changes as well as the effects of medicines which are

prescribed. It is not readily apparent how well patients are being prepared and

educated to counteract hypertension and how to slow down its cumulative effects.

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of

patients diagnosed with hypertension in the Oshana Region in Northern Namibia

with the aim of developing guidelines on how to make the necessary life style

changes which would ameliorate their condition.

The research design in this study was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and

contextual in nature. The population consisted of participants who were treated for

hypertension and a purposive sampling method was utilized. A total number of ten

participants were interviewed and the data collection ended only when data

saturation was obtained. The findings were presented in three main categories and

sub-categories. The first main category is “experiencing varying degrees of

comprehension of the disease process”. This main category does not have any subcategory.

The second main category is “positive and negative experiences

regarding treatment”. The two sub-categories of this main category are

“experiences of beneficial effects of medicine” and “experiences of negative effects

of medicines”. The third main category is “inadequate information sharing by

health workers” with its two sub-categories namely, “lack of information regarding

possible sexual dysfunction” and “lack of information regarding the type of foods

to eat or types of drinks to consume”. The findings through the three main

categories and sub-categories indicated that participants received inadequate

information from health care workers regarding the disease process as well as types

of effects medicines could have on the body. Participants also had inadequate

social support systems and they had negative experiences with regard to treatment.

It was concluded that these participants were not prepared by health care workers

how to cope with this chronic illness, and that their medicine dosages and

scheduling might not be totally individualized.