Overcoming Barriers in the Management of Hypertension: The Experience of the Cardiovascular Health Program in Chilean Primary Health Care Centers

Objective. To assess the blood pressure control and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in a population of hypertensive patients with access to care under a government-financed program, the Cardiovascular Health Program (CHP). Design. A cross-sectional and multicenter study. Setting. 52 primary care...

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Main Authors: Daniela Sandoval, Miguel Bravo, Elard Koch, Sebastián Gatica, Ivonne Ahlers, Oscar Henríquez, Tomás Romero
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:International Journal of Hypertension
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/405892
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author Daniela Sandoval
Miguel Bravo
Elard Koch
Sebastián Gatica
Ivonne Ahlers
Oscar Henríquez
Tomás Romero
author_facet Daniela Sandoval
Miguel Bravo
Elard Koch
Sebastián Gatica
Ivonne Ahlers
Oscar Henríquez
Tomás Romero
author_sort Daniela Sandoval
collection DOAJ
description Objective. To assess the blood pressure control and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in a population of hypertensive patients with access to care under a government-financed program, the Cardiovascular Health Program (CHP). Design. A cross-sectional and multicenter study. Setting. 52 primary care centers, metropolitan area of Santiago, Chile. Participants. 1,194 patients were selected by a systematic random sampling from a universe of 316,654 hypertensive patients. Key Measurements. Demographic information, blood pressure (BP) measurements, and CVRF were extracted from medical records of patients followed for a 12-month period. Results. 59.7% of patients reached target BP <140/90 mmHg. More women were captured in the sampling (2.1 : 1), achieving better BP control than men. Diabetic patients (26.4%) had worse BP control than nondiabetics. Antihypertensive medications were used in 91.5%, with multidrug therapy more frequent in patients with higher BP and more difficult control. Conclusions. The success in improving the BP control to values <140/90 mmHg from 45.3% to 59.7% underscores the contribution of this program in the Chilean primary care cardiovascular preventive strategies. However, fewer hypertensive men than women were captured by this program, and it is of concern the underperforming of BP control observed in diabetics.
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spelling doaj-art-3c92b13b194d43948edfa474f54580d82025-08-20T02:39:08ZengWileyInternational Journal of Hypertension2090-03842090-03922012-01-01201210.1155/2012/405892405892Overcoming Barriers in the Management of Hypertension: The Experience of the Cardiovascular Health Program in Chilean Primary Health Care CentersDaniela Sandoval0Miguel Bravo1Elard Koch2Sebastián Gatica3Ivonne Ahlers4Oscar Henríquez5Tomás Romero6Department of Family Medicine & Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, 8380453 Santiago, ChileInstitute of Molecular Epidemiology (MELISA), Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, 4070129 Concepción, ChileDepartment of Family Medicine & Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, 8380453 Santiago, ChileInstitute of Molecular Epidemiology (MELISA), Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, 4070129 Concepción, ChileDepartment of Family Medicine & Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, 8380453 Santiago, ChileDepartment of Family Medicine & Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, 8380453 Santiago, ChileSchool of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USAObjective. To assess the blood pressure control and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in a population of hypertensive patients with access to care under a government-financed program, the Cardiovascular Health Program (CHP). Design. A cross-sectional and multicenter study. Setting. 52 primary care centers, metropolitan area of Santiago, Chile. Participants. 1,194 patients were selected by a systematic random sampling from a universe of 316,654 hypertensive patients. Key Measurements. Demographic information, blood pressure (BP) measurements, and CVRF were extracted from medical records of patients followed for a 12-month period. Results. 59.7% of patients reached target BP <140/90 mmHg. More women were captured in the sampling (2.1 : 1), achieving better BP control than men. Diabetic patients (26.4%) had worse BP control than nondiabetics. Antihypertensive medications were used in 91.5%, with multidrug therapy more frequent in patients with higher BP and more difficult control. Conclusions. The success in improving the BP control to values <140/90 mmHg from 45.3% to 59.7% underscores the contribution of this program in the Chilean primary care cardiovascular preventive strategies. However, fewer hypertensive men than women were captured by this program, and it is of concern the underperforming of BP control observed in diabetics.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/405892
spellingShingle Daniela Sandoval
Miguel Bravo
Elard Koch
Sebastián Gatica
Ivonne Ahlers
Oscar Henríquez
Tomás Romero
Overcoming Barriers in the Management of Hypertension: The Experience of the Cardiovascular Health Program in Chilean Primary Health Care Centers
International Journal of Hypertension
title Overcoming Barriers in the Management of Hypertension: The Experience of the Cardiovascular Health Program in Chilean Primary Health Care Centers
title_full Overcoming Barriers in the Management of Hypertension: The Experience of the Cardiovascular Health Program in Chilean Primary Health Care Centers
title_fullStr Overcoming Barriers in the Management of Hypertension: The Experience of the Cardiovascular Health Program in Chilean Primary Health Care Centers
title_full_unstemmed Overcoming Barriers in the Management of Hypertension: The Experience of the Cardiovascular Health Program in Chilean Primary Health Care Centers
title_short Overcoming Barriers in the Management of Hypertension: The Experience of the Cardiovascular Health Program in Chilean Primary Health Care Centers
title_sort overcoming barriers in the management of hypertension the experience of the cardiovascular health program in chilean primary health care centers
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/405892
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