The effects of education given by nurses on rational drug use and health literacy of patients receiving hypertension treatment

Context: Health literacy and rational drug use are associated with controlling high blood pressure. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of education given by nurses on rational drug use and health literacy of patients receiving hypertension treatment. Settings and Design: The type of study is a randomized controlled experimental study. This study was carried out at the family health center. Materials and Methods: One hundred patients with hypertension were assigned to the intervention (50 patients) and control (50 patients) groups using the simple sampling method. Data were collected twice with 3 months intervals with the patient identification form, the Rational Drug Use Scale (RDUS), and the Adult Health Literacy Scale (AHLS). Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed by SPSS 22. Independent samples t-, Mann–Whitney U-, Paired samples t-, Wilcoxon signed-rank, and Chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis of within-group and between groups. Results: The mean age of the intervention group was 55.38 ± 7.07 years and 68.0% were female. The mean age of the control group was 55.12 ± 6.88 years and 64.0% were female. Intervention group was found a total score of AHLS (13.28 ± 4.10) and a total score of RDUS (50.70 ± 7.82). The scores were statistically significant. After the training given to the intervention group, there was a decrease in blood pressure. Conclusions: It was concluded that the training given by the nurse positively increased the rational drug use and health literacy in patients with hypertension. Necessary training should be given to patients by nurses. These trainings will benefit patients.