NEED TO TAKE ACTION FOR HYPERTENSION: A SURVEY ON THE PRACTICES OF PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS TOWARDS BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT IN GREECE

Objective: Primary healthcare (PHC) physicians have a pivotal role in the diagnosis and management of hypertension. While guidelines suggest that blood pressure (BP) should be measured in each patient visit at the PHC unit (PHCU), the few studies conducted among PHC physicians report low daily average BP measurements in PHCUs. Data on PHC physicians’ practices concerning BP measurement in Greece are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the practices of PHC physicians regarding BP measurement in Greece.Design and method: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted on PHC physicians in Greece (in 7/7 Health Districts). The survey consisted of closed-type socio-demographic and practice questions towards BP measurements. Appropriate statistical analyses were conducted, according to the type of variable and the research question. Results: A total of 182 PHC physicians completed the questionnaires, 94.5% general practitioners and 4.5% internists, with a median of 25 (Q1, Q3- 18, 30) daily patient visits. 63.7% had >10 years of experience as consultants and 56% used an electronic BP monitor (Figure 1). PHC physicians declared that they measure BP in a median of 30% (Q1, Q3- 20, 50) of their patients. Regarding mentioned measurement frequency, only 13.2% measured BP in all patients and others measured BP only under certain conditions (Figure 2). Among those who measure BP, 23.6% measure it once, 44.5% measure it twice, and only 19.2% measure it three times. Physicians with work experience > 20 years measured BP in a higher proportion of their patients than those with fewer years of work experience (38.5 vs. 28.6, p=0.044). Moreover, the physicians who declared they measured BP in all patients were more likely to have decreased daily patient visits than those who did not (15 vs. 25.7, p=0.02). Conclusions: This is the first study in Greece investigating the practices among PHC physicians regarding BP measurements. Our findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve BP monitoring practices. Actions that promote the collaboration between PHC doctors and hypertension specialists would possibly increase the physicians’ awareness towards hypertension.