The influence of religiosity on the embracement vs. technology based distance learning in therapy adherence in patient hypertensive

Introduction: The approach known as ‘embracement’ adopts relational strategies or soft technologies which promote bonding and may impact therapy adherence. Objectives: To assess the influence of the religiosity in the embracement approach on therapy adherence, quality of life, in hypertensive outpatients. This approach may be associated or not with the use of educational technology in a virtual learning environment(VLE) for distance learning (DL). Methods: This was a prospective randomized clinical study conducted with the following 3 groups of hypertensive patients: Group A (n=16, 12 women, mean age of 55.3±13 years, mean BMI of 32.3±6 kg/m2, receiving individual orientation required by an embracement strategy characterized by 7 nursing visits at 20-day intervals, for 4 months); Group VLE (n=10, 7 women, mean age of 51.5±7 years, mean BMI of 29.4±6 kg/m2,using a technological education strategy for DL and making 7 nursing visits at 20-day intervals, for 4 months); Control group (n=10, 5 women, mean age of 57.6±9 years, mean BMI of 29.7±6 kg/m2, making 1 nursing visit at baseline and 1 after 120 days.) At baseline and after 120 days, the following tools were applied: the Morisky test, WHOQOL, Religion Index (DUREL), and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). The VLE group had remote access to the ‘Hypertension E-Care’ site (6 specific educational modules). Results: At baseline, there were no differences in clinical blood pressure, ABPM, and socio-demographic variables among the 3 groups. At the final assessment, the VLE group (44.4±0.4) showed significant improvement (p<0.05) in the social domain of quality of life when compared to group A (40.8±4) and the controls (41.9±3);groups. In therapy adherence (Morisky test), the VLE group showed significant improvement at the end of the study, which was not the case with the other two groups. The significant correlations were observed between index of religiosity and the differences of BP Office for SBP R = - 0.667, (p = 0.035 - negative correlation) and for DBP R =-0.666 (p = 0.035 - negative correlation) in VLE Group. Conclusion: This study shows that religious belief can improve blood pressure control, specifically when associated with education technology.