Articles Related to Hypertension; One

¶ … articles related to hypertension; one from a professional nursing journal, and one from a non-professional journal. It will include a short synopsis of the information, analysis of the information in terms of similarities, differences, accuracy, etc., and a discussion of the information's usefulness for nurses and the lay public. Both of these articles cover hypertension in the American black population. It seems reasonable that because the articles are geared to two different audiences, professional and layman, that the articles are quite different in content and in style, and they are.

The article from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is quite technical in nature - geared to the medical practitioner and professional. It includes practical details on how the disease is diagnosed, treated, and effectively managed, and makes sense to the professional but would probably be a bit confusing and even daunting to the layman.

On the other hand, the article in Ebony magazine is also geared to a black audience, but it is written in non-technical terms so the average non-professional could understand it, and it does not include tables and charts, as the professional journal article does. The Ebony article is quite short, and mostly gives information on what to look for if the patient suspects they are suffering from hypertension, while the AAFP article is much more detailed and helpful to the healthcare professional.

The information in both these articles is accurate and similar in that it shows the importance of controlling hypertension, and that hypertension is perhaps more common and more severe in the black population. However, the two articles differ greatly in their approach and in the information they present. The AAFP article is much more detailed and helpful as far as how to diagnose and treat the disease.

It is much longer, with more technical information and more ideas on how to treat the disease, not only with drugs, but with lifestyle modification and education. The AAFP article educates and informs, while the Ebony article is more hopeful. Obviously, the articles were created for different audiences, and for different purposes. The Ebony article assumes the reader has a basic knowledge of hypertension, while the AAFP article understands the physician has the knowledge, which is why it goes into much greater detail to help the healthcare professional solve problems.

It does not need to educate, it needs to create solutions to problems physicians face every day. Finally, both these articles are quite useful to the people they were geared to help. The AAFP article is quite helpful for anyone in the healthcare profession, and gives concrete information the physician, nurse, and clinician can use in their day-to-day interaction with patients, especially if they serve a large portion of the black community.

While the information is geared to the black community, there are similarities in the disease in anyone who suffers from hypertension, and so the information applies to just about anyone. This article also helps physicians decide what medication to use to manage or reduce hypertension, gives good information on what other symptoms hypertension can create or intensify, and is generally a well-rounded discussion that would be useful to just about any professional.