Abstract
Hypertension (HTN) is the most common diagnosis in the United States and one of the 10 most expensive health conditions for employers. Poorly managed and undiagnosed HTN increases health care costs and contributes to lost employee productivity. The literature strongly supports self-monitoring as key to blood pressure (BP) control, especially when paired with additional interventions such as education. Although much has been done to review various worksite health promotion programs over the last 20 years to 30 years, specific evidence regarding the potential impact of providing BP self-monitoring equipment at the worksite is lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine if improvement in knowledge, BP self-monitoring, and program satisfaction were realized by providing BP equipment and educational materials at the worksite. This DNP scholarly project was implemented at a steel manufacturing company in Birmingham, Alabama. A BP station was established at the worksite and BP educational materials from the American Heart Association (AHA) were offered. Employees were recruited and informed consent was obtained from 32 volunteer participants. Participants completed a preprogram survey to gather demographic and health history information as well as assess BP knowledge using questions from the AHA. For a period of 6 weeks, study participants were asked to record in a logbook every time they used the provided equipment. Access to the BP educational material was provided in three forms: hard copy of AHA handout, weekly emails sent with sections of AHA material provided, and web address to access interactive AHA website. At the conclusion of the 6 weeks, participants were asked to complete a post-program survey; the same AHA BP quiz was re-administered, and questions were asked to ascertain satisfaction with the program as well as any potential change workers had made in lifestyle behaviors. Descriptive statistics were examined to determine equipment usage, changes in BP knowledge, and overall program satisfaction. Implications for practice include the potential impact of providing BP stations at worksites so employees can self-monitor their BPs. Worksite BP stations are a small investment with potential for substantial return in terms of promoting worker health, lowering health care costs, and improving worker productivity and satisfaction.
Sigma Membership
Alpha Beta Zeta
Type
DNP Capstone Project
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Clinical Practice Guideline(s)
Research Approach
Pilot/Exploratory Study
Keywords:
Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring, Blood Pressure Monitoring, Worksite Wellness, Work Environment, Wellness, Occupational Health Services, Occupational Health
Advisor
Linda Roussel
Second Advisor
Jennan Phillips
Third Advisor
Stephanie Hammond
Fifth Advisor
Cynthia Selleck
Degree
DNP
Degree Grantor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Degree Year
2016
Recommended Citation
Carver, Pamela E., "Workplace Health: Blood Pressure Education and Self-monitoring at the Worksite" (2026). DNP and Student Works. 339.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/dnps/339
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
None: Degree-based Submission
Acquisition
Self-submission
Date of Issue
2026-05-20
Full Text of Presentation
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