Hypertension Treatment Guideline
2. Find a Clinical Practice Guideline of your interest.,
3. Briefly describe the guideline,
4. Report on one recommendation and the level of evidence associated with the recommendation,
5. Examine the recommendations. Were all recommendations based on study findings with the highest level of evidence? Explain
Participation Requirements
The student must answer the graded discussion with a substantive reply to the graded discussion question(s)/topic(s) posted by the course instructor by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time of each week. Two scholarly sources references are required unless stated otherwise by your professor. .
Here are the categories of the new discussion rubric:
Initial Post relevance to the topic of discussion, applicability, and insight. (20%)
Quality of Written Communication Appropriateness of audience and words choice is specific, purposeful, dynamic, and varied. Grammar, spelling, punctuation. (20%)
Inclusion of DNP essentials explored in the discussion as well as the role-specific competencies as applicable.(10%)
Rigor, currency, and relevance of the scholarly references. (Use articles that are below 5 years). (20%)
Peer & Professor Responses. The number of responses, quality of response posts. (20%)
Timeliness of the initial post and the answers to the peers. (10%)
Hypertension Treatment Guideline
5. Were All Recommendations Based on the Highest Level of Evidence?
Not all recommendations in the guideline are supported by the highest level of evidence (i.e., RCTs or meta-analyses). The guideline clearly distinguishes between “optimal” and “essential” standards, with optimal standards usually supported by robust evidence (Grade A), and essential standards reflecting a practical minimum based on observational studies or expert consensus in resource-limited settings.
For example:
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Recommendations on lifestyle modifications such as salt reduction and exercise are based on moderate-quality evidence (Grade B).
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Some diagnostic and follow-up procedures, particularly in low-resource areas, are guided by expert opinion (Grade C) due to limited research availability.
This reflects an important aspect of global practice guidelines: balancing scientific rigor with feasibility and accessibility in diverse healthcare environments.
DNP Essentials and Competencies:
This discussion aligns with DNP Essential I (Scientific Underpinnings for Practice) and Essential VII (Clinical Prevention and Population Health). The role-specific competency applied here is the use of evidence-based practice in guideline implementation for disease management.
References:
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Unger, T., Borghi, C., Charchar, F., Khan, N. A., Poulter, N. R., Prabhakaran, D., … & Schutte, A. E. (2020). 2020 International Society of Hypertension Global Hypertension Practice Guidelines. Journal of Hypertension, 38(6), 982–1004. https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000002453
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Whelton, P. K., Carey, R. M., Aronow, W. S., et al. (2018). 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. Journal of the American Colle