Management of Hypertension: How Innovative Packaging Can Improve Patient Outcomes?

With an estimated 315 million people affected by hypertension in India, the growing burden has highlighted the urgent need to enhance awareness not only for early detection but also for better management¹, especially given its strong link to serious complications such as stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart failure, myocardial infarction and chronic kidney disease^2,3. Educational interventions play a crucial role in supporting hypertensive patients by keeping them motivated and reinforcing daily self-care practices essential for controlling hypertension and improving long-term outcomes

Challenges in Dissemination and Recall of Patient Education in Hypertension

While there is a lot of patient education material available, yet effective counselling tools on lifestyle modifications and reinforcement of critical patient self-management reminders in hypertension is an opportunity that needs to be addressed. This is the need of the hour as latest data indicates only 17% hypertensive patients achieve blood pressure control.

Addressing Challenges: Need for Continuous and Visually Reinforcing HCP-Patient Dialogue Tools

• Effective patient education messaging
• Support hypertension physicians in their busy routine practice
• Enhances patient satisfaction
• Education about disease leads to better patient engagement and motivation in putting efforts towards self-management of hypertension
• Improves medication adherence
• Benefits blood pressure control

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that educating hypertensive patients on lifestyle modifications and medication adherence improves their knowledge and leads to better blood pressure control⁴.

United for BP Control

In an effort to enhance treatment adherence and awareness, pharmaceutical companies are incorporating patient education directly onto medication strips. Recently, USV, an Indian multinational healthcare company, in collaboration with the World Hypertension League (WHL) and the Indian Society of Hypertension (ISH), launched the United for BP Control initiative to help reduce the burden of hypertension in India.

As part of this initiative, the company has announced a first-of-its-kind Patient Education Strip, which features three key health messages printed on the blister pack: “Take medication on time,” “Follow a healthy diet,” and “Do physical activities daily.” These messages are available in both English and Hindi, making it easier to connect with the large number of people in India who speak and understand Hindi. This uniquely designed packaging innovation in the hypertension segment aims to enhance patient adherence to antihypertensive medication and promote healthy lifestyle modifications, based on insights from over 2000 doctors and 800 patients.

Such initiatives are giving patients daily reminders that encourage better medication adherence and healthier lifestyle choices. These strips also support healthcare professionals by reinforcing patient education and promoting healthy habits during consultations, enhancing overall treatment adherence.

Educational Interventions in Hypertension Care: Evidence Spotlight

Educating hypertensive patients about their care has been shown to improve blood pressure control. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 150 hypertensive patients, participants were divided equally into an intervention group (n = 75) and a control group (n = 75). The intervention group received structured education on hypertension management, lifestyle modifications, and the importance of medication adherence, while the control group continued with standard care as per hospital protocol. After six weeks, the intervention group demonstrated significantly improved knowledge and better blood pressure control compared to the control group (p = 0.00)⁴.

Takeaway

Managing hypertension effectively requires more than awareness; it needs daily reinforcement to keep patients motivated. The first-of-its-kind Patient Education Strip printed on the blister pack serves as a daily reminder to follow healthy habits such as eating a healthy diet, staying physically active, and taking medication on time. USV’s United for BP Control initiative empowers patients and supports HCPs by turning medication packaging into a tool for education, reiterating the importance of lifestyle modifications & long-term adherence in helping achieve better hypertension outcomes.

Reference:

1. Mohan V, Anjana RM, Tandon N. Lessons learnt from the ICMR–INDIAB study. Natl Med J India 2023;36:137–9. DOI: 10.25259/NMJI_655_23.
2. Wandile PM. Hypertension and comorbidities: A silent threat to global health. Hypertens Comorb. 2024;1(1):1-7.
3. Picariello C, Lazzeri C, Attanà P, Chiostri M, Gensini GF, Valente S. The impact of hypertension on patients with acute coronary syndromes. Int J Hypertens. 2011;2011:563657. doi: 10.4061/2011/563657. Epub 2011 Jun 22. PMID: 21747979; PMCID: PMC3124673.
4. Kiran Manzoor, Prof. Dr. Samina Kausar, & Dr. Mansoor Ghani. (2024). EFFECTIVENESS OF PATIENT’S EDUCATION IN SELF-MANAGEMENT OF BLOOD PRESSURE IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 31(3), 1959-1968. https://doi.org/10.53555/jptcp.v31i3.5231