Blood Pressure Control In Primary Care Research Articles

Hypertension guideline implementation and blood pressure control in Matlosana, South Africa.

High systolic blood pressure remains a leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases worldwide and in South Africa (SA). Information about the extent of guideline implementation and blood pressure (BP) control is lacking in Matlosana Sub-district, North West province, SA. The study aimed to assess the implementation of the South African Hypertension Practice Guideline (SAHPG) and BP control in adults attending primary care facilities in Matlosana. Cross-sectional study was conducted, using 523 randomly sampled medical records. Data collected included demographic information, recorded BP readings, anthropometry, screening for target organ damage (TOD), hypertension complications, comorbidities, lifestyle advice and drug therapy. According to the reviewed records the mean age of the participants was 56.77 years with a standard deviation of 12.4 years and 376 (71.9%) records belonged to females. Blood pressure control was documented in 229 (43.8%) of the medical records, with better control recorded in a group with comorbid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) than in groups with other comorbidities. The study found poor documentation of the SAHPG recommendations among patients with hypertension. According to the patient records BP control was suboptimal, the most common documented comorbid illness was HIV, and screening for TOD was generally poorly documented.Contribution:Programmes that audit and improve the quality of hypertension guideline implementation and BP control in primary care require ongoing support and research.

Validity of clinic blood pressure compared to ambulatory monitoring in hypertensive patients in a primary care setting

Aims. To determine the validity of the blood pressure (BP) measurement in a primary care setting in comparison with the measurement obtained from 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Methods. Patients with hypertension (n = 137) were studied in primary care. Immediately after a nurse took two measurements of each patient's BP, the ABPM device was attached. Agreement was determined using the Bland–Altman method and the Kappa index. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated for the manual BP measurement in comparison with ABPM for the purpose of diagnosing uncontrolled BP. Results. The BP values from ABPM were lower than those obtained in the examination room. The difference between the clinic measurement and the ABPM was 18.07 ± 14.6 mmHg (systolic blood pressure, SBP) and 6.3 ± 9.2 mmHg (diastolic blood pressure, DBP). The agreement between the clinic measurement and 24h-ABPM for the purpose of classifying control or uncontrolled BP was 64.2% (Kappa = 0.311). In the case of ABPM, the sensitivity of the measurement in the examination room for diagnosing uncontrolled BP was 80.36%, specificity was 53.09%, positive predictive value 54.22% and negative predictive value 70.63%. Conclusions. Clinic measurements do not have sufficient sensitivity/specificity to be recommended as a single method of BP control in primary care.

More rigorous protocol adherence to intensive structured management improves blood pressure control in primary care: results from the Valsartan Intensified Primary carE Reduction of Blood Pressure study.

Objective:To examine protocol adherence to structured intensive management in the Valsartan Intensified Primary carE Reduction of Blood Pressure (VIPER-BP) study involving 119 primary care clinics and 1562 randomized participants.Methods:Prospective criteria for assessing adherence to treatment prescription, uptitration, and visit attendance at 6, 10, 14, and 18 weeks postrandomization were applied to 1038 intervention participants. Protocol adherence scores of 1–5 (least to most adherent) were compared to blood pressure (BP) control during 26 weeks of follow-up.Results:Mean age was 59.3 ± 12.0 years, 963 (62%) were men, and 1045 (67%) had longstanding hypertension. Clinic attendance dropped from 91 (week 6) to 83% (week 26) and pharmacological instructions were followed for 93% (baseline) to 61% at week 14 (uptitration failures commonly representing protocol deviations). Overall, 26-week BP levels and BP target attainment ranged from 132 ± 14/79 ± 9 and 51% to 141 ± 15/83 ± 11 mmHg and 19% in those participants subject to the highest (n = 270, 26%) versus least (n = 148, 14%) per protocol adherence, respectively; adjusted relative risk (RR) 1.22 per unit protocol adherence score, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–1.31; for achieving BP target (P < 0.001). Participants with a per protocol score of 4 or 5 (512/1038, 49.3%) were 1.54-fold (95% CI 1.31–1.81; P < 0.001) more likely to achieve their individual BP target compared with usual care. Clinics equipped with a practice nurse significantly influenced protocol adherence (adjusted RR 1.20, 95% CI 1.06–1.37; P = 0.004) and individual BP control (RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.04–1.41; P = 0.015).Conclusion:There is considerable potential for structured care management to improve BP control in primary care, especially when optimally applied.

Implementing Programs to Improve Hypertension Management in Typical Practice Settings: Not as Easy as It Sounds

Implementing Programs to Improve Hypertension Management in Typical Practice Settings: Not as Easy as It Sounds

Factors Associated with Blood Pressure Control in Hypertensive Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: Evidence from the Chinese Cholesterol Education Program

Blood pressure (BP) remains poorly controlled among hypertensive patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in China. Improvement of its management will require an understanding of the patient characteristics and treatment factors associated with uncontrolled hypertension. A cross-sectional survey of 3,279 patients from 52 centers in China was performed to examine potential barriers to adequate blood pressure control of hypertensive patients with CHD. Uncontrolled hypertension was defined as blood pressure ≥130/or 80 mmHg. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with poor blood pressure control. Mean age of the patients was 65 years, 40% were women, and mean BMI was 25 kg/m2. Mean systolic blood pressure was 136±18 mmHg and mean diastolic blood pressure was 80±11 mmHg. Only 18% of patients had a mean blood pressure <130/80 mmHg during the study period. Multivariate analysis revealed several independent factors of poor blood pressure control: body mass index ≥23 kg/m2, the presence of stable angina pectoris (SAP), family history of diabetes, and use of calcium channel blockers (CCB). Further analysis showed that non-dihydropyridine calcium antagonist was significantly correlated with low BP control rate. Some of these may be amenable to modification. The results of our study suggest that overweight, the presence of SAP and family history of diabetes are important factors for tight BP control in primary care. In addition, non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers appear less effective than other therapies in control of blood pressure and should not be the first choice among hypertensive patients with CHD. Further identification of patients at risk of poor BP control can lead to targeted interventions to improve management.