Prevalence, Awareness and Management of Hypertension in Acute Care Personnel

The primary purpose of this study is to identify the percentage of health care workers working in an acute care hospital who have high blood pressure, to determine the awareness of their blood pressure status, and to see how well it is managed. Study participants will come from the following three distinctly different types of departments: telemetry (clinical), non-telemetry (clinical), and non-direct patient care staff. All study participants are offered educational information surrounding high blood pressure and review the recommendation for their primary care engagement. Study participants with high blood pressure will be asked to continue in the study for up to 6 months. It is intended that each study participant who continues will take their blood pressure three times a day and record the results in a study provided diary. Each study participant should also make some of the suggested changes that promote a healthier lifestyle including exercising, improving their diet, and seeing their primary care provider. It is the thought that these changes will reduce the study participant's blood pressure. The secondary purpose is to determine the effect shift work has on these hospital employees and the potential positive effects of the three interventions.