Effects of Educating by Digital Media Combined with Communication via Social Media on Knowledge, Health Behavior and Blood Pressure of Hypertensive Patients at Outpatient Department, Phrae Hospital

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is a continually increasing health problem, and lead to severe complication or death If blood pressure levels cannot be controlled. Providing health education leads to modified health behavior and blood pressure levels control for outpatients has several limitations. Therefore, the researcher conducted studied effects of educating by digital media combined with communication via social media on knowledge, health behavior and blood pressure of hypertensive patients at outpatient department, Phrae Hospital as a guideline for developing providing health education for hypertensive patients and other patient groups.

Objective: To study the effects of digital media education combined with social media communication on knowledge, health behaviors, and blood pressure levels among hypertensive patients at the outpatient department of Phrae Hospital.

Method: This research is a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest comparison group designed, 56 hypertensive patients at outpatient department, Phrae Hospital, divided into an experimental and comparison group of 28 people each. The experimental group received education through digital media combined with social media communication, while the comparison group received through standard methods. Data were collected using hypertension knowledge assessment form with CVI and KR-20 values of 0.87 and 0.81, health behavior assessment form based on the 3E 2S principles, with CVI and Cronbach's alpha coefficient values of 0.90 and 0.85, and blood pressure self - records form. Data were analyzed with chi-square test, paired t-test, Wilcoxon sign-ranks test, and Mann - Whitney U test.

Results: After receiving digital media education combined with social media communication, the experimental group had higher scores in hypertension knowledge and health behaviors compared to before the intervention, and higher health behavior scores than the comparison group with statistical significance at the .001 level. However, there was no significant difference in hypertension knowledge between the two groups (p >.05). Furthermore, the experimental group showed lower blood pressure levels than pre-intervention with statistical significance at the .001 level, while the comparison group showed no significant difference in blood pressure levels before and after the intervention.

Conclusion: Digital media education combined with social media communication improves hypertension knowledge, health behaviors, and blood pressure control in hypertensive patients more effectively than traditional education methods.