Culturally appropriate hypertension care: from patients’ perspectives towards practical tools

The following main conclusions can be drawn from the studies: there is an important difference between the biomedical explanatory models of hypertension and those of patients. Although many similarities exist between the explanatory models of ethnic Dutch, African Surinamese and Ghanaian hypertensive patients, culture and migration play a significant role in how ethnic minority immigrant patients perceive and manage their hypertension. Based on these findings, a provider-based intervention and implementation strategy to enhance culturally appropriate hypertension education has been developed and evaluated in routine primary care. The intervention can increase the acceptance of a culturally appropriate approach among hypertension care providers. Moreover, most of the barriers for the adoption of the intervention are commonly encountered when innovations are introduced in primary care and do not indicate a resistance to providing culturally appropriate care. A cluster randomized trial is currently being conducted to evaluate the effect of the intervention on blood pressure control, adherence and satisfaction with care.