Hypertension is a significant cause of cardiovascular disease in the United States with a prevalence of over 78,000,000 adults (Anderson et al. 2017). The American Heart Association (AHA) in 2010 created a goal that aimed at reducing deaths that result from stroke and cardiovascular diseases by a whopping 20% by 2020 (Anderson et al. 2017). As such, there is a need to adopt strategies that are cost-effective, simple, scalable, and sustainable. In a bid to employ strategies to reduce infection and further educate the masses about diseases such as hypertension, nurses and healthcare workers must adopt models such as the MAP-IT. The model, which is in tandem with the Health People 2020 objectives, plays a significant role in mobilizing, planning, and implementation of a health strategy (Health People 2020). Using the MAP-IT model, the Check, Change, and Control (CCC) strategy suggested by AHA could vital in improving blood pressure levels which would subsequently reduce hypertension among a low income and non-English speaking community.
Mobilize
The main aim of mobilization is to accumulate a team of people that will enhance a healthy community among these individuals with hypertension (Healthy People 2020 ). The bringing of people together will ensure that all susceptible patients are identified, and goals are achieved in unison. Furthermore, in the spirit of cultural sensitive healthcare, it would be vital to incorporate members of the community who can speak the native language and connect with the patients. As such, nurses will join hands with community leaders, and local healthcare workers in a bid to carry out campaigns and enrollments that will see these people recruited for the CCC program. A potential partner in this program would be the AHA which was the first to suggest and apply the program, and as such, it would provide the team with valuable insights about its implementation in the program.
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Assess
First, this community requiring help has certain disadvantages that could be regarded as a barrier to health. The members have a low income and do not speak the English language. Furthermore, they have little education, and this places them in a position where they cannot read or understand the prescriptions and forms given by the doctor. After mobilization, it would be vital for the nurses to explain what hypertension is in as simple terms as possible to ensure that they get a glimpse of what it involves. As such, the coalition will focus on the measuring the blood pressure levels and use it as a basis for treatment and prevention. The community members must also ensure that hypertension is a chronic disease that has a close relationship with mental health, lifestyle, and quality of life.
Some of the resources that the team will accumulate include the blood pressure measuring devices, relevant charts for illustration given that the members do not speak English, and survey materials for collecting data. Furthermore, educational materials such as pamphlets, journals, and books would be essential for the community leaders who would use it to assist their members in changing and controlling their blood pressure as indicated in the CCC program.
Plan
Anderson et al. (2017) noted that the goal of the CCC program is to ensure that the target members know their blood pressure levels and thus use this as a basis of treatment, change of lifestyle, and control through education and guidance. Every member will receive a blood pressure measurement, and through the community leaders present, an educative campaign will be conducted in a bid to achieving healthy lifestyles among the people. Furthermore, a survey will be done on each individual to determine the possible predisposing factors that could contribute to hypertension among this crop of people (Khoshraftar Roudi et al. 2016). The survey must also reveal the lifestyle of the community members.
Implementing
Scheduling is an essential part of the implementation process (Healthy People 2020 ). Each community member eligible for the problem will receive information on the material day of the screening campaign. All the education materials will be put in place at the designated sites most preferable in the nearby health facilities to enhance accessibility. Khoshraftar Roudi et al. (2016) asserted that important to note is that the program must also guarantee incentives and stipends for these people to enhance motivation given that they come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Proper coordination and liaison with the community leaders should take center stage to ensure that no one is left behind in the program.
Track
Keeping track of the blood pressure testing process is critical in determining whether one of the primary goals of the strategy is met. The nurses will take note of the measurements and the data from the survey and use this as a platform for achieving the second goal which is enhancing change. Change in this scenario would mean adopting new lifestyles that would reduce the rates of exposure to hypertension. The community leaders must show a consistent campaign within the community in a bid to emphasize change and control of hypertension. The partners, AHA, should also promote healthy lifestyles by providing self-tracking blood pressure machines and other educative documents. Anderson et al. (2017) illustrated that the CCC is, therefore, a long-term project that would require more time for full implementation to occur.
In conclusion, the use of MAP-IT model is an essential step for nurses in educating vulnerable communities and improving health. The CCC program provides a platform for the people to measure their blood pressure levels and forge a strategy of changing lifestyles and controlling any predisposing factor. The role of the community nurses will be to recruit a support staff and partners, which will assist them in making small changes that have a potential of impacting the society.
References
Anderson, M. L., Peragallo Urrutia, R., O'Brien, E. C., Allen LaPointe, N. M., Christian, A. J., Kaltenbach, L. A., ... & Wayte, P. (2017). Outcomes of a multi‐community hypertension implementation study: the American Heart Association's Check. Change. Control. Program. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension , 19 (5), 479-487.
Healthy People 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/tools-and-resources/program-planning/Track
Khoshraftar Roudi, E., Behnam Voshani, H., Emami Zeydi, A., Askari Hoseini, Z., Movahedifar, M., & Emami Moghadam, Z. (2016). Comparison of the effects of healthy lifestyle education program implemented by peers and community health nurses on the quality of life of elderly patients with hypertension. Evidence-Based Care , 5 (4), 51-60.
