Abstract

BACKGROUND: Approximately 50 million people in the U.S. have hypertension. The Joint National Committee (JNC V) guidelines provide treatment recommendations for hypertension. These guidelines promote initiating therapy with diuretics and à -blockers because these agents have been shown to reduce hypertension related morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVES: To survey primary care physicians' antihypertensive prescribing practices, their perceptions about antihypertensive medication cost and safety, and their perceptions of the effects of managed care. DESIGN: A direct mail survey was distributed to a national random sample of 500 office based, primary care internists, family practitioners, and general practitioners. RESULTS: 72% of the physicians who responded reported being aware of the JNC V guidelines. Younger physicians claimed to be more aware of and more likely to follow JNC V guidelines than older physicians. Only 25% of physicians reported initiating treatment at systolic blood pressures greater than 140 mm Hg as recommended by the JNC V guidelines. Most physicians reported initiating treatment at higher pressures. Diuretics were selected for initial antihypertensive treatment by 36% of physicians, ACE inhibitors by 35%, à -blockers by 16%, and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) by 7%. Up to 27% of physicians admitted not knowing the cost of specific medications. Approximately half of the physicians reported that they and their patients were more concerned about medication cost and safety today than 18 months ago. A greater number of younger physicians reported that managed care formularies infringed upon their prescribing practices. CONCLUSIONS: Antihypertensive prescribing patterns are inconsistent with JNC V guidelines. Actual practice may deviate even more from these guidelines than reported in this survey. Also, physicians perceive that managed care is increasingly affecting their prescribing practices. (c)1999 by Le Jacq Communications, Inc.

View details for PubMedID 11416601