Reports the results of a large research project, the Hypertension Management Audit Project, designed to assess the extent to which hypertension is adequately controlled and managed in different communities. Carried out in seven European countries, the study aimed to identify weaknesses in the detection and management of hypertension and thus guide the development of more effective public health policies. Factors assessed include awareness of hypertension in the general population, the work-up and management of hypertensive patients, patient compliance and satisfaction with the prescribed therapy, the extent to which treated patients have achieved normal blood pressure levels, drugs most frequently prescribed by physicians, and the sources of information that influence physician prescribing practice. The study gave particular attention to the importance of physicians' attitudes and practices, especially concerning non-drug treatment and the management of risk factors. The book has two parts. The first describes the design, protocol, and objectives of the study, and discusses its major findings. The second and most extensive part consists of fourteen reports of country projects, ranging from a survey of employees at a chemical plant in Hungary to a study of the discrepancies between attitudes and self-reported behaviour among physicians in Germany. The protocol for the research project is reproduced in an annex.

DC.EURO

eng.

WHODOC

WHO monograph

4