A study of the consistency between hypertension medications prescribed by general practitioners and 2018 ESC/ESH guidelines for the management of hypertension

Abstract

Introduction: Prescription of the right antihypertensivedrug plays a key role in treatment and prevention of seriousside effects for patients. The present study aims toidentify the types of hypertension medications prescribedby general practitioners and the degree to which theyagree with 2018 ESC (European Society of Cardiology)and ESH (European Society of Hypertension) Guidelinesfor the management of hypertension in the health centersof villages near a city in the province of Fars, south of Iran.Materials and Methods: The present study is a descriptive,cross-sectional work where 300 individuals withhypertension were selected from 30 villages according tothe cluster sampling method. Data were collected usinga checklist which addressed the respondent’s demographics,underlying disease, and type of hypertension medication.Subsequently, the extent of consistency betweenthe prescribed medications and the hypertension guidelineswere examined. The collected data were analyzedusing SPSS-23.Results: The participants ranged from 37 to 59 years ofage with an average age of 47.23±15.1 years. 60% ofthe patients studied had stage 1, 30% stage 2, and 10%had stage 3 hypertension. Beta blockers were found tobe the medications most frequently prescribed by the generalpractitioners. Most of the patients with cardiac disorders,diabetes, and kidney failure had been prescribedbeta blockers, which was not in accordance with the newhypertension guidelines.Conclusion: Medications prescribed for patients with hypertensionare usually not consistent with hypertensionguidelines. It is recommended that general practitioners’awareness of hypertension guidelines be raised throughworkshops in order to decrease or prevent the seriousconsequences of hypertension in patients by treatingthem correctly.