COMPARISON OF BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT IN ROUTINE PRACTICE IN FRANCE AND CANADA

Objective: Hypertension management in Canada is significantly better than in France, despite both countries having comparable standards of living. While differences in healthcare system organization and enhanced screening practices may partially explain this paradox, Canadian and European guidelines for hypertension management are quite similar. Variations in blood pressure measurement practices could also contribute to this discrepancy. To compare blood pressure measurement methods used in current practice in Canada and France and compare them with the respective recommendations. Design and method: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey conducted from June 2023 to March 2024 on a representative sample of 500 French general practitioners, using the same questionnaire employed in the Canadian survey of 2016. Results: For screening, Canadian doctors use an aneroid device in 54% vs. 73% of French doctors, and the automatic device in 43% vs. 25% of French doctors. The ABPM is used 3 times more often in Canada to confirm the diagnosis (15% vs. 5%). On the other hand, HBPM appears to be less widely used in Canada than in France (22% vs. 89%). During follow-up, Canadians and French use an aneroid device in 64% of cases, but 36% of Canadians take their measurements in a pharmacy vs. 0% in France.Conclusions: Canadian practices differ from those in France. In Canada, unlike France, pharmacists are involved in monitoring hypertensive patients. Tensiometers are still widely used in both countries, but mainly in France.