Trajectories and influencing factors of medical-help-seeking behaviour of elderly hypertensive patients - Analysis of 8 year clinical follow up data

Hypertension has become a major health issue, impacting both health and quality of life. Due to its long course of illness, multiple and complex complications, and lack of a cure or correcting deviation, patients require lengthy and continuous support and medical management. Understanding the long-term journey and influencing factors of medical-help-seeking behaviour in hypertensive patients is crucial for developing targeted and patient-centred prevention and control strategies. The study aimed to identify and analyze the long-term trajectories of medical-help-seeking behaviour among hypertensive patients who were managed by community health centres of Putuo District in Shanghai City. Using trajectory modeling to determine key behavioral patterns and the influencing factors, the study will inform hypertension prevention and treatment policies. Continuous clinical records of 8,922 hypertensive patients were retrieved from Resident Electronic Health Record System of Putuo District in Shanghai from 2014 to 2021. The data include histories, encounters, diagnostic, management and follow-up information. The Group-Based Trajectory Model (GBTM) was applied to analyze the patterns of the medical-help-seeking behaviour change, simulate behavioural transitions, and identify the best fitting model. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to examine patient characteristics across different behavioural trajectories. The 'persistently irregular medical-help-seeking behaviour' group served as the reference group for comparing influencing factors among medical-help-seeking behaviour trajectory groups. A total of 444,126 outpatient records were retrieved. The GBTM analysis revealed five distinct medical-help-seeking behaviour trajectories: sustained regular (39.84%), regular with a slow decline (25.36%), U-shaped (11.43%), regular with slow increase (11.86%), and persistently irregular (14.86%). Statistical differences were observed between these groups, including gender, age, illness duration, diabetes history, transient ischemic attack (TIA) history, and family history ( P < 0.05). Female patients and those aged 75 years or older were more likely to transition from irregular to regular medical-help-seeking behaviour. Patients with diabetes or a history of TIA were less likely to follow irregular medical-help-seeking behaviour. Longer duration of hypertensive history and a family history were associated with a less favorable shift in behaviour. Less than 40% of hypertensive patients consistently follow a regular medical-help-seeking behaviour. However, appropriate management strategies can promote regular medical-help-seeking behaviour, particularly in females, patients aged 75 years or above, and those with diabetes or a history of TIA. Further research is suggested identifying factors that can encourage medical help-behavioral changes in other medical-help-seeking behaviour trajectory groups.