Patient Preference and Adherence (Jun 2022)

Individuals’ Experiences of Being Screened for Hypertension in Dental Health Care – “No Big Deal”

  • Andersson H,
  • Bergh H,
  • Bergman S,
  • Bergsten U

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 1449 – 1456

Abstract

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Helen Andersson,1,2 Håkan Bergh,2,3 Stefan Bergman,2 Ulrika Bergsten3 1Hallands Hospital Varberg, Varberg, Sweden; 2School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; 3Department of Research & Development Unit, Hospital Varberg, Region Halland, Varberg, SwedenCorrespondence: Helen Andersson, Email [email protected]: Hypertension is a common disease globally that accounts for the highest number of lost healthy life years and strongly associated with sequelae such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Early detection of individuals with high blood pressure can be ensured by screening also those who consider themselves “healthy”. Screening has both positive and negative effects where a diagnosis of hypertension can lead to worry about the future. These effects need to be elucidated in order to balance between benefit and harm before screening is introduced. The aim of the study was to describe individuals’ experiences of being screened for hypertension in dental health care.Methods: Data from individual semi-structured interviews, with twenty participants screened for cardiovascular risk factors in connection with dental examination and aged 55– 80 years, were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis.Results: The results describe individuals’ experiences of blood pressure screening in dental health care by means of the following theme: “No big deal” based on two categories: “Convenient way of measuring blood pressure” and “Increased awareness of health”.Conclusion: The overall message from the interviews was that having one’s blood pressure measured when visiting the dentist was convenient, easy and “No big deal”. Blood pressure screening did not create any major concerns and contributed to an increased awareness of health.Keywords: patients´ experiences, hypertension, blood pressure, screening, dental health care

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