title: Cardiovascular risk factor control and treatment patterns in primary care.
abstract: Previous research has shown that controlling hypertension and other cardiovascular (CV) risk factors reduces the number of CV events and racial/ethnic health disparities. The objectives of this study were to assess CV risk factor treatment, control, and disparities among patients with hypertension using data from retrospective medical record audits. Data were obtained from 63 primary care sites with 201 providers. In 49% of 35,940 patients with hypertension, the last blood pressure reading was less than 140/90 mm Hg. In 62% of 18,627 patients who also had dyslipidemia, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was less than 130 mg/dL. In 49% of 6,616 patients with hypertension and diabetes, glycosylated hemoglobin levels were less than 7%. Multiple risk factor control was rare, especially among women and African Americans. It appears that programs to improve CV risk factor control using audit and feedback in primary care are feasible and instructive.
authors.affiliation: College of Health Professions, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA. hendrikh@musc.edu
authors.forename: Katharine H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hendrix
authors.forename: Daniel T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Lackland
authors.forename: Brent M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Egan
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013022:South Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health