[The degree of control and care for hypertension patients in the Toledo Health Area].
OBJECTIVE
To find how well blood pressure figures of patients with hypertension in the Toledo Health District are monitored and how they are followed up.


METHODS
Cross-sectional and descriptive, based on review of clinical records.


METHODS
Primary care in Toledo.


METHODS
391 patients diagnosed with hypertension, chosen through multi-stage random sampling and followed up at the District's Health Centres.


METHODS
The age and sex of the patient, complications, level of blood pressure monitoring (the patient was considered "under control" if the mean of the three last blood pressure figures was < 140/90 mmHg), inclusion in nursing clinic and how many times monitored for hypertension, were taken from the clinical records.


RESULTS
12.3% were classified as suffering from serious hypertension, 57.9% of the patients had no visceral complication. 22.1% had a cardiac complication, and 14.9% a renal complication. 26.57% had mean blood pressure < 140/90 mmHg (CI, 22.19-30.94). 93% were followed up in the nursing clinic. Average annual hypertension controls was 2.69 with doctors and 8.73 with nurses. There was no significant association between the percentage of patients under control, and follow-up or otherwise in the nursing clinic (27.3% and 24%, respectively). There was greater attendance of patients with their blood pressure poorly controlled, both in medical (2.8 vs 2.3; p > 0.05) and nursing clinics (9.2 vs 7.5; t = 3.03; p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results confirm the tendency towards an improvement in recent years in the monitoring of patients with hypertension in our country. In view of the important number of monitoring sessions (especially in nursing clinics) that proper follow-up requires, we wonder whether such a discreet improvement is not being achieved at too high a cost.
Sáez Torralba
E
E
EAP Fuensalida, Puebla de Montalbán, Villaluenga y Sillería y Area de Toledo.
Millán Olmo
A
A
Lopéz de Castro
F
F
Carrasco Rodríguez
J
J
Arribas Gutiérrez
A
A
Abarca López
M J
MJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data