Health seeking behaviors of nurses diagnosed with hypertension and providing health care in resource-constrained setting in a rural part of Northern Ghana: A qualitative study

Abstract

A significant gap exists between nurses' knowledge of hypertension and their health-seeking actions. This gap is primarily driven by organizational and systemic barriers within the workplace, rather than a lack of individual awareness. To protect this critical workforce, we recommend that nurse managers, hospital management and health policymakers must prioritize the implementation of structured, low-cost workplace wellness programmes. These should include routine screening, flexible scheduling, anti-stigma campaigns to promote health-seeking, and confidential peer support systems to enable nurses to translate their knowledge into consistent self-care practices when diagnosed with hypertension.