Self-care Practices of Hypertensive Adult Female Patients in the City of Marikina amidst the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Phenomenological Inquiry.

BACKGROUND

Hypertension is one of the leading causes of morbidity in the Philippines owing to urbanization, population growth, and individual lifestyles. Upon the advent of COVID-19 in the Philippines, Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was imposed from March to May 2020, resulting in mobility restrictions and changing the overall focus of the health system.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to understand and describe daily experiences, self-care practices (SCPs), and barriers and facilitators involved in the management of hypertension of selected female hypertensive patients in Marikina City during ECQ.

METHODS

A descriptive phenomenological design complemented with purposeful sampling was employed to gather in-depth information regarding lived experiences and SCPs of female hypertensive patients aged 40-59 in the City of Marikina during ECQ.

RESULTS

Inductive thematic analysis using NVivo12 Qualitative Data Analysis software following 13 in-depth inter-views revealed five themes: 'pagkakulong' or imposition, 'pagpapahalaga' or preservation, 'pakikibagay' or adaptation, 'palakasan' or inclination, and 'panawagan' or petition. Discontinuation and acquisition of SCPs were influenced by factors external to participants, while retention of practices was influenced mainly by individual factors, implying that a patient-centered approach is important in drafting interventions and creating policies for long periods of lockdown.

CONCLUSION

The imposed ECQ affected environmental and macro-level factors surrounding discontinuation, retention, and acquisition of SCPs related to hypertension. Inequities in resource distribution affected patient perception of health services and willingness to seek care. Recommendations include establishing an association between barriers, facilitators, and outcomes and broadening the study's coverage to wider demographics.