Effects of a family dyadic partnership program for people with hypertension in a rural community: A pilot randomised controlled trial

• Published in: The Australian journal of rural health Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 435 - 448
• Main Authors: Zeng, Dejian, Yang, Chen, Chien, Wai Tong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Richmond Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.06.2021
• Subjects: Acceptability; Antihypertensives; Blood pressure; cardiovascular medicine; Caregivers; Efficacy; family intervention; family member; Feasibility; Feasibility studies; Feedback; Hypertension; Intervention; Medical treatment; Nursing; Partnerships; Patients; Positive feedback; Quality of life; Recruitment; Rural areas; Rural communities; rural health; Rural health care; Self care; Variance analysis; China
• ISSN: 1038-5282; 1440-1584
• DOI: 10.1111/ajr.12712

Objective To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a theory‐based patient‐family carer partnership intervention for people with hypertension in a Chinese rural community. Design A pilot randomised controlled trial using pretest and post‐test design. Setting Rural China Participants Forty‐four hypertensive patients and their family carers (family dyads) were randomly recruited from a village clinic located in China between November 2019 and January 2020. Interventions Participants were randomised to either an intervention group receiving a five‐session patient‐family carer partnership intervention over 10 weeks or a control group receiving usual care. Main outcome measures The feasibility and acceptability of patient‐family carer partnership intervention and the changes in patients' systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and percentage of normal controlled blood pressure. Results The patient‐family carer partnership intervention was a feasible and acceptable program with high recruitment (81.5%) and completion rates (95.5%) and positive feedback from participants. Greater improvement in the percentage of normal controlled blood pressure was identified in the intervention group tested by the χ2 tests, with P = .03. Two‐way ANOVA results indicated its interaction (Group × Time) effects on patients' systolic blood pressure (P < .001), diastolic blood pressure (P < .001), dyadic partnership quality (P = .002), self‐care (P < .001), self‐efficacy (P = .02), antihypertensive drug treatment rate (P = .02), prescription adjustment (P = .03), perceived anxiety (P < .001) and health‐related quality of life (EuroQol five‐dimensional five‐level: P = .02; EuroQol visual analogue scale: P < .001); family carers' dyadic partnership quality (P = .002), perceived depression (P = .04) and health‐related quality of life (P = .02) were significant. Conclusion Our findings support the feasibility and acceptability of the patient‐family carer partnership intervention and indicate benefits in improving patients' blood pressure control, dyadic relationship and psychological well‐being of family dyads in rural area. Further research to test the longer‐term effect in a large‐sized population is recommended.