Background
Hypertension affects millions of people around the world and is a primary cause of mortality, potentially leading to the development of cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and stroke. Effective management includes lifestyle changes and medication to reduce blood pressure and prevent complications. With so many drugs available to treat hypertension, nurse practitioners (NPs) must ensure that treatment plans are individualized to specific client circumstances and conditions (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
Management of Hypertension
Managing hypertension requires a comprehensive approach to nonpharmacologic interventions and medication therapy using one or more of the below drug classes. Medication selection is influenced by the assessment of an individual's overall health, comorbidities, and other specific health needs. The choice of medication should be tailored to the individual client, aiming to manage blood pressure and side effects effectively. The following drug classes offer multiple mechanisms to lower blood pressure (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
Diuretics play a crucial role in managing hypertension by decreasing blood volume through diuresis to contribute to decreased blood pressure. They can be effective when administered alone or with other antihypertensive medications (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
Thiazide diuretics target the distal convoluted tubule in the nephron to inhibit sodium and water reabsorption, leading to increased diuresis.
Furosemide (Lasix) is a potent loop diuretic that is effective for clients with varying degrees of kidney function, including those with renal impairment. Loop diuretics work by inhibiting sodium and chloride reabsorption in the nephron’s loop of Henle to produce sigifnicant diuresis and subsequent fluid volume reduction. Furosemide can be prescribed for many indications, including edema, heart failure, cirrhosis, kidney disease, pulmonary edema, and hypertension in limited circumstances (for example, if clients do not have adequate renal function and require fluid volume reduction and are hypertensive or clients who have heart failure and hypertension). Due to its mechanism of action, it can result in side effects like electrolyte imbalanaces and hypovolemia, requiring close monitoring of electrolyte levels and renal function. Loop diuretics are covered later in the lesson when heart failure medications are covered, as that is their primary indication.
Preparing the Assignment
Follow these guidelines when completing each component of the discussion. Contact your course faculty if you have questions.
General Instructions
Step 1: Identify your assigned client from the Week 2 Explore lesson. Your assignment is based on the first letter of your last name in the chart below. Review your assigned clinical application activity from the lesson. The client case link will take you to the page in the lesson where the respective case is located. Scroll to the bottom of the page to locate the client case.
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Last Name |
Client from Week 2 Lesson |
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A – E |
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Step 2: Assess the client’s case, the applicable clinical practice guideline (CPG), and the prescription writing activity for that client within the lesson.
Step 3: Answer the discussion prompts below with explanation and detail, providing complete references for all citations. Refer to the lesson for client information.
Step 4: Reply to peers with a different assigned client.
Include the following sections:
1. Application of Course Knowledge: Answer all questions/criteria with explanations and detail.
a. Describe your assigned client’s situation. Why are they presenting to the clinic? What medications are they currently taking?
b. Assess the applicable clinical practice guideline (CPG) for your assigned client linked on the same page in the lesson where the client case is located. What treatment is recommended by the CPG for your client’s situation?
c. Discuss your personal professional assessment of the client’s situation provided in the scenario. What pharmacological treatment is necessary and why?
d. Reflect on additional questions you have about your assigned client that may influence treatment. What else do you need to know? What follow-up assessments, labs, or conversations are required to ensure optimal health outcomes?
2. Integration of Evidence: Integrate relevant scholarly sources as defined by program expectationsLinks to an external site. :
a. Cite a scholarly source in the initial post.
b. Cite a scholarly source in one faculty response post.
c. Cite a scholarly source in one peer post.
d. Accurately analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles from evidence with no more than one short quote (15 words or less) for the week.
e. Include a minimum of two different scholarly sources per week. Cite all references and provide references for all citations.
3. NR565_W2_Discussion Rubric
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NR565_W2_Discussion Rubric |
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Criteria |
Ratings |
Pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeApplication of Knowledge 4 Required Criteria Answer all questions/criteria with explanations and detail: 1. Describe your assigned client’s situation. Why are they presenting to the clinic? What medications are they currently taking? 2. Assess the applicable clinical practice guideline (CPG) for your assigned client. What treatment is recommended by the CPG for your client’s situation? 3. Discuss your personal professional assessment of the client’s situation provided in the scenario. What pharmacological treatment is necessary and why? 4. Reflect on additional questions you have about your assigned client that may influence treatment. What else do you need to know? What follow-up assessments, labs, or conversations are required to ensure optimal health outcomes |
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20 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIntegration of Evidence 5 Required Criteria Integrate relevant scholarly sources as defined by program expectations: 1. Cite a scholarly source in the initial post. 2. Cite a scholarly source in one faculty response post. 3. Cite a scholarly source in one peer post. 4. Accurately analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles from evidence with no more than one short quote (15 words or less) for the week. 5. Include a minimum of two different scholarly sources per week. Cite all references and provide references for all citations |
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,
Hypertension affects millions of people around the world and is a primary cause of mortality, potentially leading to the development of cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and stroke. Effective management includes lifestyle changes and medication to reduce blood pressure and prevent complications. With so many drugs available to treat hypertension, nurse practitioners (NPs) must ensure that treatment plans are individualized to specific client circumstances and conditions (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
Management of Hypertension
Managing hypertension requires a comprehensive approach to nonpharmacologic interventions and medication therapy using one or more of the below drug classes. Medication selection is influenced by the assessment of an individual's overall health, comorbidities, and other specific health needs. The choice of medication should be tailored to the individual client, aiming to manage blood pressure and side effects effectively. The following drug classes offer multiple mechanisms to lower blood pressure (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
Diuretics play a crucial role in managing hypertension by decreasing blood volume through diuresis to contribute to decreased blood pressure. They can be effective when administered alone or with other antihypertensive medications (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
Thiazide diuretics target the distal convoluted tubule in the nephron to inhibit sodium and water reabsorption, leading to increased diuresis.
Furosemide (Lasix) is a potent loop diuretic that is effective for clients with varying degrees of kidney function, including those with renal impairment. Loop diuretics work by inhibiting sodium and chloride reabsorption in the nephron’s loop of Henle to produce sigifnicant diuresis and subsequent fluid volume reduction. Furosemide can be prescribed for many indications, including edema, heart failure, cirrhosis, kidney disease, pulmonary edema, and hypertension in limited circumstances (for example, if clients do not have adequate renal function and require fluid volume reduction and are hypertensive or clients who have heart failure and hypertension). Due to its mechanism of action, it can result in side effects like electrolyte imbalanaces and hypovolemia, requiring close monitoring of electrolyte levels and renal function. Loop diuretics are covered later in the lesson when heart failure medications are covered, as that is their primary indication.
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