[Hypertension in general practice]

A group of 15 Danish general practitioners performed a medical audit on hypertension control consultations consisting of three registrations of each 15 days during 1995 through 1997. Between the first and second registration an interventional programme was set up by establishing different kinds of CME activity and by publishing local guidelines for discovering, diagnosing, treating and controlling hypertension. The blood pressure reductions achieved were only moderate even though the doctors were rather compliant to the recommendations; in 1997 no less than 70% of the patients were above the recommended target value for systolic blood pressure (140 mmHg) whereas 20% were above the target value for diastolic blood pressure (90 mmHg). Present aspects of the epidemiology of hypertension and its treatment as performed by general practitioners today are described, and possible reasons for shortcomings are discussed.