SUMMARY A 1-year, randomized study was conducted to test the possibility of improving compliance with therapeutic regimens in hypertensives by means of certain simple arrangements. Patients were given written treatment instructions concerning hypertension, a personal blood-pressure follow-up card, and, for those who failed to attend their blood-pressure check-up, an invitation for a new check-up. Using matched pairs, 202 Finnish hypertensives were randomly allocated either to an ordinary or a reorganized treatment group. By means of the latter system, patient compliance could be significantly (p < 0.01) improved: Only 4% of the patients in this group dropped out of treatment, compared with 19% in the ordinary treatment group. By the end of the year, blood pressure had been lowered by at least 10% in 95% of the patients in the reorganized group and in 78% of those in the ordinary group (p < 0.01). This was achieved in approximately 60% of cases using chlorthalidone alone.
HYPERTENSION IS A MAJOR ISSUE in public
health because of its high prevalence and serious complications. Although the treatment of hypertension is clearly useful, at least with selected middleaged men,1 2 only part of the hypertension population is under adequate treatment, or indeed any treatment at all,3' 4 because hypertensive patients frequently drop out of treatment.5' At the community level, low compliance has been a central problem in the treatment of hypertension. Our study examines whether simple rearrangements of health education and organization can improve compliance with the therapeutic regimen. These rearrangements included providing written and verbal information, noting the time of the next visit on each patient's blood pressure (BP) follow-up card, and inviting the patient to come for a new check-up if he or she failed to keep an appointment. Patients and Methods A hypertension screening survey, the results of which have been published elsewhere,7 was carried out in Siakylai, a municipality in southwestern Finland, in 1973-1974. This survey covered the middle-aged population (40-64 years), and was attended by a total of 1245 persons, 94% of those who were invited to participate. Those subjects whose BP as determined in the screening met the criteria for high BP (specified below) were invited to come for a second measurement after 6 months. Those subjects whose BP readings at both measurements met the criteria for high BP, and who were not under treatment at the time of the investigation, were randomly divided into two groups using matched pairs. Patients in one group were treated according to the ordinary treatment system and patients in the other according to the imFrom the Departments of Public Health, University of Turku and University of Helsinki, Turku and Helsinki, Finland, and the Municipal Confederation of Sakyla and Ki5ylio for Public Health Work, Finland.Address for reprints: Jorma Takala, M.D., Docent, Saarijarventie 10 A 1, SF-40200 Jyvaskyla 20, Finland.Received May 26, 1978; revision accepted October 4, 1978.Circulation 59, No. 3, 1979.proved system. Medical care for all patients was provided by the same physicians in a community health center. In matching, the factors likely to influence compliance with antihypertensive therapy were taken into account, including age, sex, severity of the disease, and prior treatment of high BP or awareness of its presence. The criteria for high BP were as follows: BP > 160 mm Hg systolic or > 95 diastolic in patients age 40-49;' and BP . 170 mm Hg systolic or > 105 diastolic in patients age 50-64 years.9 After the groups were established, all patients were notified that their BPs were repeatedly above the normal range and therefore required medical examination. At the same time an appointment was set up for them with a physician in the health center.Drug therapy was begun in all patients whose BP,when examined by a physician, again met the above criteria. On the first visit the same verbal information on hypertension and the importance of treating it was given by the physician to patients in both groups. Under the improved treatment system, the patients were given treatment instructions in writing in addition to the oral information. Each patient also received a follow-up card on which BP readings measured during visits to the health center, medication prescribed, and the exact time of the next visit were recorded. The second appointment with the physician occured after I month, the third after 2 months, the fourth, fifth and sixth appointments after 3 months from the previous visit. The failure of patients to attend BP check-ups was discovered by reviewing weekly the BP records of patients being treated under the improved system. An invitation for a new check-up was sent to those who failed to keep their appointments. Under the ordinary system, the patients received neither the written treatment instructions nor the follow-up card, and were requested to make an appointment well in advance for the next check-up in the community health center after either 1, 2, or 3 months depending on the number of follow-up visits already paid. In this group, those who withdrew from treatment did not receive an invitation to come for a new BP check-up.540
SUMMARY A 1-year, randomized study was conducted to test the possibility of improving compliance with therapeutic regimens in hypertensives by means of certain simple arrangements. Patients were given written treatment instructions concerning hypertension, a personal blood-pressure follow-up card, and, for those who failed to attend their blood-pressure check-up, an invitation for a new check-up. Using matched pairs, 202 Finnish hypertensives were randomly allocated either to an ordinary or a reorganized treatment group. By means of the latter system, patient compliance could be significantly (p < 0.01) improved: Only 4% of the patients in this group dropped out of treatment, compared with 19% in the ordinary treatment group. By the end of the year, blood pressure had been lowered by at least 10% in 95% of the patients in the reorganized group and in 78% of those in the ordinary group (p < 0.01). This was achieved in approximately 60% of cases using chlorthalidone alone.
HYPERTENSION IS A MAJOR ISSUE in public
health because of its high prevalence and serious complications. Although the treatment of hypertension is clearly useful, at least with selected middleaged men,1 2 only part of the hypertension population is under adequate treatment, or indeed any treatment at all,3' 4 because hypertensive patients frequently drop out of treatment.5' At the community level, low compliance has been a central problem in the treatment of hypertension. Our study examines whether simple rearrangements of health education and organization can improve compliance with the therapeutic regimen. These rearrangements included providing written and verbal information, noting the time of the next visit on each patient's blood pressure (BP) follow-up card, and inviting the patient to come for a new check-up if he or she failed to keep an appointment. Patients and Methods A hypertension screening survey, the results of which have been published elsewhere,7 was carried out in Siakylai, a municipality in southwestern Finland, in 1973-1974. This survey covered the middle-aged population (40-64 years), and was attended by a total of 1245 persons, 94% of those who were invited to participate. Those subjects whose BP as determined in the screening met the criteria for high BP (specified below) were invited to come for a second measurement after 6 months. Those subjects whose BP readings at both measurements met the criteria for high BP, and who were not under treatment at the time of the investigation, were randomly divided into two groups using matched pairs. Patients in one group were treated according to the ordinary treatment system and patients in the other according to the imFrom the Departments of Public Health, University of Turku and University of Helsinki, Turku and Helsinki, Finland, and the Municipal Confederation of Sakyla and Ki5ylio for Public Health Work, Finland.Address for reprints: Jorma Takala, M.D., Docent, Saarijarventie 10 A 1, SF-40200 Jyvaskyla 20, Finland.Received May 26, 1978; revision accepted October 4, 1978.Circulation 59, No. 3, 1979.proved system. Medical care for all patients was provided by the same physicians in a community health center. In matching, the factors likely to influence compliance with antihypertensive therapy were taken into account, including age, sex, severity of the disease, and prior treatment of high BP or awareness of its presence. The criteria for high BP were as follows: BP > 160 mm Hg systolic or > 95 diastolic in patients age 40-49;' and BP . 170 mm Hg systolic or > 105 diastolic in patients age 50-64 years.9 After the groups were established, all patients were notified that their BPs were repeatedly above the normal range and therefore required medical examination. At the same time an appointment was set up for them with a physician in the health center.Drug therapy was begun in all patients whose BP,when examined by a physician, again met the above criteria. On the first visit the same verbal information on hypertension and the importance of treating it was given by the physician to patients in both groups. Under the improved treatment system, the patients were given treatment instructions in writing in addition to the oral information. Each patient also received a follow-up card on which BP readings measured during visits to the health center, medication prescribed, and the exact time of the next visit were recorded. The second appointment with the physician occured after I month, the third after 2 months, the fourth, fifth and sixth appointments after 3 months from the previous visit. The failure of patients to attend BP check-ups was discovered by reviewing weekly the BP records of patients being treated under the improved system. An invitation for a new check-up was sent to those who failed to keep their appointments. Under the ordinary system, the patients received neither the written treatment instructions nor the follow-up card, and were requested to make an appointment well in advance for the next check-up in the community health center after either 1, 2, or 3 months depending on the number of follow-up visits already paid. In this group, those who withdrew from treatment did not receive an invitation to come for a new BP check-up.540
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SUMMARY A 1-year, randomized study was conducted to test the possibility of improving compliance with therapeutic regimens in hypertensives by means of certain simple arrangements. Patients were given written treatment instructions concerning hypertension, a personal blood-pressure follow-up card, and, for those who failed to attend their blood-pressure check-up, an invitation for a new check-up. Using matched pairs, 202 Finnish hypertensives were randomly allocated either to an ordinary or a reorganized treatment group. By means of the latter system, patient compliance could be significantly (p < 0.01) improved: Only 4% of the patients in this group dropped out of treatment, compared with 19% in the ordinary treatment group. By the end of the year, blood pressure had been lowered by at least 10% in 95% of the patients in the reorganized group and in 78% of those in the ordinary group (p < 0.01). This was achieved in approximately 60% of cases using chlorthalidone alone.
HYPERTENSION IS A MAJOR ISSUE in public
health because of its high prevalence and serious complications. Although the treatment of hypertension is clearly useful, at least with selected middleaged men,1 2 only part of the hypertension population is under adequate treatment, or indeed any treatment at all,3' 4 because hypertensive patients frequently drop out of treatment.5' At the community level, low compliance has been a central problem in the treatment of hypertension. Our study examines whether simple rearrangements of health education and organization can improve compliance with the therapeutic regimen. These rearrangements included providing written and verbal information, noting the time of the next visit on each patient's blood pressure (BP) follow-up card, and inviting the patient to come for a new check-up if he or she failed to keep an appointment. Patients and Methods A hypertension screening survey, the results of which have been published elsewhere,7 was carried out in Siakylai, a municipality in southwestern Finland, in 1973-1974. This survey covered the middle-aged population (40-64 years), and was attended by a total of 1245 persons, 94% of those who were invited to participate. Those subjects whose BP as determined in the screening met the criteria for high BP (specified below) were invited to come for a second measurement after 6 months. Those subjects whose BP readings at both measurements met the criteria for high BP, and who were not under treatment at the time of the investigation, were randomly divided into two groups using matched pairs. Patients in one group were treated according to the ordinary treatment system and patients in the other according to the imFrom the Departments of Public Health, University of Turku and University of Helsinki, Turku and Helsinki, Finland, and the Municipal Confederation of Sakyla and Ki5ylio for Public Health Work, Finland.Address for reprints: Jorma Takala, M.D., Docent, Saarijarventie 10 A 1, SF-40200 Jyvaskyla 20, Finland.Received May 26, 1978; revision accepted October 4, 1978.Circulation 59, No. 3, 1979.proved system. Medical care for all patients was provided by the same physicians in a community health center. In matching, the factors likely to influence compliance with antihypertensive therapy were taken into account, including age, sex, severity of the disease, and prior treatment of high BP or awareness of its presence. The criteria for high BP were as follows: BP > 160 mm Hg systolic or > 95 diastolic in patients age 40-49;' and BP . 170 mm Hg systolic or > 105 diastolic in patients age 50-64 years.9 After the groups were established, all patients were notified that their BPs were repeatedly above the normal range and therefore required medical examination. At the same time an appointment was set up for them with a physician in the health center.Drug therapy was begun in all patients whose BP,when examined by a physician, again met the above criteria. On the first visit the same verbal information on hypertension and the importance of treating it was given by the physician to patients in both groups. Under the improved treatment system, the patients were given treatment instructions in writing in addition to the oral information. Each patient also received a follow-up card on which BP readings measured during visits to the health center, medication prescribed, and the exact time of the next visit were recorded. The second appointment with the physician occured after I month, the third after 2 months, the fourth, fifth and sixth appointments after 3 months from the previous visit. The failure of patients to attend BP check-ups was discovered by reviewing weekly the BP records of patients being treated under the improved system. An invitation for a new check-up was sent to those who failed to keep their appointments. Under the ordinary system, the patients received neither the written treatment instructions nor the follow-up card, and were requested to make an appointment well in advance for the next check-up in the community health center after either 1, 2, or 3 months depending on the number of follow-up visits already paid. In this group, those who withdrew from treatment did not receive an invitation to come for a new BP check-up.540
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