The Effect of Nurse Led Biofeedback Intervention on Blood Pressure Levels in Patients with Hypertension

Background: Nurse led interventions have proven to be both cost effective and clinically beneficial in the management of chronic diseases. Hypertension, as a leading long term cardiovascular disorder, is characterised by autonomic dysregulation and increased sympathetic tone as its underlying pathophysiological basis. Complementary interventions have been demonstrated to target the multifaceted pathophysiology of hypertension. Methods: Uncomplicated patients with primary hypertension attending an outpatient clinic were randomly assigned to a study group (n=۱۷۳) and a control group (n=۱۷۳) in a tertiary care hospital. Sociodemographic and clinical variables, baseline blood pressure outcomes, and galvanic skin response (GSR) were collected. Patients in the study group received four sessions of relaxation training using abdominal breathing, facilitated by GSR biofeedback. Daily home practice was encouraged and monitored to assess blood pressure and GSR effects at the end of the first, second, and third months post intervention. Blood pressure measurements were recorded one month before and two months after the intervention. Differences in mean blood pressure before and after the counselling were analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired t tests. Results: The study was completed in ۴۱ participants. Mean systolic blood pressure decreased from ۱۶۶.۳ ± ۱۸.۲ mmHg before the intervention to ۱۴۱.۲ ± ۱۲.۹ mmHg at the third month after counselling (P = ۰.۰۰۰۱). Similarly, mean diastolic blood pressure decreased from ۱۰۲.۹ ± ۷.۴۹ mmHg before counselling to ۹۰ mmHg at the third month post intervention (P = ۰.۰۰۰۱). Significant differences were observed in both mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures across the first, second, and third months following the intervention (P = ۰.۰۰۰۱). Conclusion: Behavioural interventions based on biofeedback significantly reduced blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Further studies should incorporate biochemical markers of sympathetic nervous system activity to confirm the efficacy of this intervention in chronic disease management.

Keywords:

Biofeedback , Blood Pressure , Nursing Intervention , Abdominal Breathing Relaxation