Health literacy for elderly patients with high blood pressure: A scoping review

Background

Hypertension is the chronic disease that most affects the elderly population worldwide and is the main modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In hypertensive elderly patients, health literacy emerges as a key component for achieving better clinical outcomes.

Objective

This study aims to describe the health literacy strategies used for elderly patients with arterial hypertension.

Methods

A review of the scientific literature was conducted in accordance with recommendations from the Joanna Briggs Institute and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Three databases were used to identify relevant studies which were then assessed for eligibility, extracted, and categorized.

Results

A total of 6442 articles were identified in the databases, out of which 1486 were duplicates and were removed. Based on titles and abstracts, 4887 articles were excluded, and 59 were eliminated through full-text analysis for not meeting the eligibility criteria. Ten studies were included in this scoping review. The identified strategies included face-to-face group educational sessions, face-to-face individual educational sessions, use of written educational materials, educational sessions through electronic devices and/or computers, individual counseling, physical exercise, and personal health diary. The most addressed topics were the nature of hypertension, nutrition, and physical exercise. The study environments highlighted the importance of involving a multidisciplinary team in health literacy strategies for elderly individuals whith hypertension.

Conclusions

Interventions with mixed measures were commonly used by the authors and encouraged disease self-management. Access to information and the promotion of critical thinking allowed patients to have better disease control. However, studies linking health literacy and elderly individuals with arterial hypertension are still scarce, indicating the need for further research.