Nurse led interventions to improve control of blood pressure in people with hypertension: systematic review and meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To review trials of nurse led interventions for hypertension in primary care to clarify the evidence base, establish whether nurse prescribing is an important intervention, and identify areas requiring further study.


METHODS
Systematic review and meta-analysis.


METHODS
Ovid Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, British Nursing Index, Cinahl, Embase, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, and the NHS Economic Evaluation Database.


METHODS
Randomised controlled trials of nursing interventions for hypertension compared with usual care in adults.


METHODS
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, percentages reaching target blood pressure, and percentages taking antihypertensive drugs. Intervention effects were calculated as relative risks or weighted mean differences, as appropriate, and sensitivity analysis by study quality was undertaken.


RESULTS
Compared with usual care, interventions that included a stepped treatment algorithm showed greater reductions in systolic blood pressure (weighted mean difference -8.2 mm Hg, 95% confidence interval -11.5 to -4.9), nurse prescribing showed greater reductions in blood pressure (systolic -8.9 mm Hg, -12.5 to -5.3 and diastolic -4.0 mm Hg, -5.3 to -2.7), telephone monitoring showed higher achievement of blood pressure targets (relative risk 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.08 to 1.43), and community monitoring showed greater reductions in blood pressure (weighted mean difference, systolic -4.8 mm Hg, 95% confidence interval -7.0 to -2.7 and diastolic -3.5 mm Hg, -4.5 to -2.5).


CONCLUSIONS
Nurse led interventions for hypertension require an algorithm to structure care. Evidence was found of improved outcomes with nurse prescribers from non-UK healthcare settings. Good quality evidence from UK primary health care is insufficient to support widespread employment of nurses in the management of hypertension within such healthcare systems.
Clark
Christopher E
CE
Primary Care Research Group, Institute of Health Services Research, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, St Luke's Campus, Exeter EX1 2LU. christopher.clark@pms.ac.uk
Smith
Lindsay F P
LF
Taylor
Rod S
RS
Campbell
John L
JL
D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D015982:Bias; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000191:economics; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000191:economics / Q000451:nursing* / Q000503:physiopathology; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses' / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic