The family and hypertension in family practice

The influence of the family in the care of family practice patients has not been studied extensively. This study uses hypertension as an index condition to characterize the extent of involvement of family around family practice center (FPC) patients and to examine whether the presence of family members influences patient outcomes. Records of 366 hypertensive patients were reviewed for information about blood pressures, demographic characteristics, associated medical conditions, and treatment. Three hundred forty-three of these patients responded to questions about family members, including their use of the FPC and whether they also had hypertension. Twenty percent of patients lived alone. Of the rest, two thirds had some, and one half had all family members enrolled in the FPC. Seventy-three listed family with hypertension, and 42 said these relatives were treated at the FPC. At the time of the first visit to the FPC for hypertension, the mean diastolic blood pressure was 93 mmHg. At their most recent visit, the mean was 83 mmHg, and 69 percent were below 90 mmHg. There was no association between blood pressure control and family enrollment in the FPC.