WHO meeting on community control of stroke and hypertension: Copenhagen, Geneva, 8-16 November 1972: hypertension study, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

• WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE WHO MEETING ON OOMMUNIT'l CONTROL OF STROKE AND HYPERTENSION Copenhagen/Geneva, 8-16 November 1972 avD/S/72. 27 ENGLISH ONLY INDEXED HYPERTENSION STUDY, B>RmAMWOOD, HERTFOROOHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM by c. Hodes London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London, United Kingdom The purpose of the study is to develop a comprehensive model progranme for the corrmunity control of arterial hypertension in the National Health Service of the United Kingdom. The principal aim is to find the most efficient way of (1) identifying and (2) keeping patients with high blood pressure under continuing (drug) control. Different techniques of identification and control in National Health Service general practices will be compared. The hypothesis to be tested is that, by taking special measures in a group general practice for identifying and treating moderate high blood pressure, better results will be obtained than can be demonstrated by two reference general practices. The reference practices will continue to find and treat their hypertensive patients without adopting any special measure. The comparison will be made in terms of the proportion of hypertensive patients brought under treatment and kept at the desired level of ~ontrol. The principal outcome of the study will therefore be a detailed comparison of the efficiency and cost of the special measures taken to identify and treat hypertension, with the efficiency and cost of the usual methods of good general practice today. The end points of the study are: (a) Identification of patients with hyi:ertension (including patients without symptoms). (b) Response to an invitation to a screening clinic in a group practice (the procedures being carried out by a health visitor and district nurse, and supplemented by a questionnaire). (c) Acceptance of treatment and patient cooperation in treatment over a two year period. (d) To determine whether this special hypertension progr8Jlllle gives worthwhile advantages over good general practice care in the National Health Service in terms of identification and control. (e) Information on out patient investigation and treatment of hypertension. (f) Psychiatric state of hypertensive patients before and after entry into the study. (g) Some effects of the treatment of hypertension on absence from work. (h) Demonstration of the problems of recording, surveillance and analysis of a programne for conmunity control of hypertension. (1) Additional costs of such a programme. The issue of this document does not constitute formal publication. It should not be reviewed, abstracted or quoted without the agreement of the World Health Organization. Authors alone are responsible for views expressed in signed articles. Ce document ne constitue pas une publication. II ne doit faire l'objet d'aucun compte rendu ou rl!isuml!i ni d'aucune citation sans l'autorisation de !'Organisation Mondiale de la Sante. Les opinions exprimees dans les articles signes n'engagent que leurs auteurs.