학술논문

Current practice of blood pressure measurement in Germany: a nationwide questionnaire-based survey in medical practices
Document Type
article
Source
Blood Pressure, Vol 32, Iss 1 (2023)
Subject
hypertension
blood pressure
office blood pressure
home blood pressure monitoring
hbpm
Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system
RC666-701
Language
English
ISSN
0803-7051
1651-1999
08037051
Abstract
Purpose Discrepancies exist between guideline recommendations and real-world practice of blood pressure (BP) measurements. The aim of this study was to assess, with a nationwide, questionnaire-based survey, the current practice of BP measurement and associated BP values in German medical practices. Material and methods A nationwide survey in German medical practices was performed in the period from 10 May 2021 to 15 August 2021. The questionnaire was divided into five sections. The current office BP (OBP) values as well as the current drug therapy were recorded. In addition, the implementation of office BP (OBP) and home BP monitoring (HBPM) was queried. For analysis, questionnaires were scanned and automatically digitised. Results A total of 7049 questionnaires were analysed, the majority of which came from general practitioners (66%) and internal medicine practices (34%). The average OBP (SD) was 140.0 (18)/82.7 (11) mmHg. 40.8% of treated patients had OBP in the controlled range, with monotherapy (34.7%) or dual combination therapy (38.2%) prescribed in most cases. OBP was taken from a single measurement in 66.3% of cases, and in 21.8% from 23 measurements. OBP was mostly measured after a rest period (87.1%) and in a separate room (80.4%). HBPM was performed in 62.3% of patients; however, in 24.9% of the participants HBP measurements were recorded once a week or less. Conclusion In this nationwide survey in German medical practices, BP control remains at below 50%, while monotherapy is prescribed in around one third of patients. Moreover, office measurements and HBPM are often not performed according to current guideline recommendations.