Current practice of blood pressure measurement in Germany: a nationwide questionnaire-based survey in medical practices

Purpose Discrepancies exist between guideline recommendations and real-world practice of blood pressure (BP) measurements. The aim of this study was to assess, with a nationwide, questionnaire-based survey, the current practice of BP measurement and associated BP values in German medical practices. Material and methods A nationwide survey in German medical practices was performed in the period from 10 May 2021 to 15 August 2021. The questionnaire was divided into five sections. The current office BP (OBP) values as well as the current drug therapy were recorded. In addition, the implementation of office BP (OBP) and home BP monitoring (HBPM) was queried. For analysis, questionnaires were scanned and automatically digitised. Results A total of 7049 questionnaires were analysed, the majority of which came from general practitioners (66%) and internal medicine practices (34%). The average OBP (SD) was 140.0 (18)/82.7 (11) mmHg. 40.8% of treated patients had OBP in the controlled range, with monotherapy (34.7%) or dual combination therapy (38.2%) prescribed in most cases. OBP was taken from a single measurement in 66.3% of cases, and in 21.8% from 23 measurements. OBP was mostly measured after a rest period (87.1%) and in a separate room (80.4%). HBPM was performed in 62.3% of patients; however, in 24.9% of the participants HBP measurements were recorded once a week or less. Conclusion In this nationwide survey in German medical practices, BP control remains at below 50%, while monotherapy is prescribed in around one third of patients. Moreover, office measurements and HBPM are often not performed according to current guideline recommendations. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY What is the context? Elevated blood pressure (hypertension) is an important risk factor for diseases such as stroke or heart attack. However, sufficient drug therapy can significantly reduce the risk of complications such as a stroke. An adequate blood pressure measurement is the basis for diagnostics and successful therapy. In order to measure blood pressure as accurately as possible, recommendations for performing blood pressure measurements (at home as well as in the office) have been published by medical societies. Research suggests that blood pressure is not always measured according to these recommendations. However, there are no current studies for Germany. What is new? In this study, we analysed the results of a survey in which medical practices and pharmacies throughout Germany were asked about blood pressure measurement and blood pressure therapy. The key results of our study suggest that: center dot The blood pressure of many participants with known hypertension is not within the desired target range. center dot Office blood pressure measurements are often not performed as suggested by guidelines. This mainly affects time-consuming work steps such as repeating the measurement several times. center dot Home blood pressure is not recorded in a structured form, as suggested, but rather according to a random pattern by the patient. What is important? This study suggests that blood pressure control is not sufficient in the study participants. Furthermore, blood pressure measurement as an important tool for hypertension management is frequently not performed as proposed by guidelines.

Automated summary

This study assessed the current practice of blood pressure measurement and associated values in German medical practices. The findings suggest that blood pressure control is insufficient and measurements are often not performed according to guideline recommendations.