Screening strategies for hypertension: a systematic review protocol.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Public Health Interventions
• Evidence Synthesis

Background:

• The impact of early hypertension detection on patient behavior and blood pressure management remains unclear.
• There is a need to evaluate different screening strategies for hypertension.
• Assessing patient-important outcomes is crucial for understanding screening effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and compare the effectiveness of mass, targeted, and opportunistic hypertension screening strategies.
• To evaluate the impact of these strategies on reducing morbidity and mortality associated with hypertension.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of randomized controlled trials, controlled before and after studies, interrupted time series, and prospective analytic cohort studies.
• Searches will be conducted in major databases including Cochrane, Medline, Embase, and LILACS.
• Two independent reviewers will screen studies, extract data, and assess risk of bias using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Main Results:

• This section will present the comparative effectiveness of different hypertension screening strategies.
• Results will focus on clinical outcomes, adverse events, and health system impacts.
• The certainty of the evidence will be assessed using the GRADE approach.

Conclusions:

• The review will provide evidence on the comparative effectiveness of various hypertension screening strategies.
• Findings will inform public health policies and clinical guidelines for hypertension detection.
• The study aims to guide the selection of optimal screening approaches to improve patient outcomes and reduce hypertension burden.