Galway Bay fm newsroom - New research involving NUI Galway and Croí has identified more effective methods of tackling high blood pressure.
They warn that with upward trends for hypertension and heart disease across Ireland, the need for a new model of care is critical.
Hypertension - or raised blood pressure - affects over 50 percent of people over the age of 50 in Ireland.
Researchers say while many people undergo adequate clinical treatment, their standard of blood pressure control still remains sub-optimal.
This, they argue, is mainly due to poor adherence to medication regimes, fuelled by poor awareness levels.
The new research assessed the impact of a structured educational intervention programme on patient knowledge, lifestyle behaviors, and blood pressure control.
Topics explored in-depth with participants included understanding and controlling blood pressure, the effects of diet and exercise, smoking cessation, stress management, and medication adherence.
Meanwhile, a control group were given standard care, including blood pressure and BMI measurements, lifestyle guidance and referral to a GP.
Ultimately researchers found that participants from the intervention group showed higher blood pressure reductions by the end of the study, when compared to those in the control group who received standard care.
