THERAPEUTIC INERTIA: 15 YEARS ON, NOTHING HAS CHANGED

Objective: Clinical inertia is defined as the failure to intensify treatment in a patient who has not achieved evidence-based care goals. It is a significant factor contributing to inadequate management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, heart failure, and many other chronic conditions. The failure to control hypertension in many patients is often attributed to a lack of patient compliance. However, clinical inertia on the part of the physician is likely at least as important a factor in the poor management of hypertension [1]. In 2010, Redon et al., on behalf of the SHARE steering committee, conducted a European survey of over 2,500 GPs to evaluate their attitudes towards perceived levels of hypertension and its subsequent management To investigate, using the same SHARE questionnaire, the attitudes of French general practitioners 15 years after the initial survey.Design and method: A telephone survey was conducted with a representative sample of 500 French general practitioners (GPs) between January 2022 and July 2024. Results: French GPs report being satisfied with a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 136.3 mmHg, express concern at 148.4 mmHg, but only modify treatment when SBP reaches 166.1 mmHg. These findings closely mirror those of the European SHARE survey conducted in 2010. French GPs appear to tolerate a higher SBP level for satisfaction (136.3 mmHg vs. 131.6 mmHg), but the SBP threshold triggering immediate action remains very high (166.1 mmHg vs. 168.2 mmHg). Conclusions: Raising awareness among GPs about the risks of therapeutic inertia in hypertension is crucial to improving the management of hypertensive patients.