Secondary outcomes
Improved hypertension management: Thirty per cent (n = 6) of
the 20 participants at the six-month follow-up visit had achieved
nationally recommended blood pressure targets of < 140/90
mmHg or < 130/80 mmHg for those with diabetes or chronic
renal impairment (Lindsay et al., 2008). Importantly, the majority
experienced significant reductions in blood pressure from
the time of recruitment when compared to the study follow-up
at six months (see Table 2). Analysis using Student t-tests
demonstrated a mean reduction in systolic blood pressure from
baseline of 16.75 mmHg (p = 0.000), and a mean reduction in
diastolic blood pressure of 5.025 mmHg (p = 0.004). Improvement in medication self-efficacy: In addition to the
presence of probable TIA or confirmed stroke and hypertension,
the most frequent inclusion criteria met by 95% of participants
was decreased medication self-efficacy expectations, i.e.,
any degree of belief that taking medications as directed would
not prevent a future stroke (M= 4.63; SD = 1.29). At six-month follow-up, participants reported significantly increased levels
of medication self-efficacy (M = 5.88; SD = 1.050; p = 0.04).