RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Do Clinicians Tell Patients They Have Prehypertension?
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 117
OP 118
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2011.01.100206
VO 24
IS 1
A1 Viera, Anthony J.
A1 Bangura, Fatima
A1 Mitchell, C. Madeline
A1 Cerna, Ana
A1 Sloane, Philip
YR 2011
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/24/1/117.abstract
AB Background: The clinical utility of the prehypertension label is questionable. We sought to estimate how often patients with prehypertension are being told about it by their primary care clinicians.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of adult patients visiting practices within the North Carolina Family Medicine Research Network in summer 2008. Non-hypertensive patients were asked whether a doctor or other health care provider had ever told them they had “prehypertension”; a subsample of patients with measured blood pressure (BP) in the prehypertension range was asked the same question.Results: Of 1008 non-hypertensive patients, 1.9% indicated being told they had prehypertension. Among a subsample of 102 patients with measured BP in the prehypertension range, 2.0% indicated being told they had prehypertension.Conclusion: Few patients who probably have prehypertension are being told about it by clinicians.