Contacts to general practitioners and renewal of antihypertensive medication - a four-year follow-up in primary health care, Turku, Finland

Background

Persistence with medication is central to the effectiveness of antihypertensive therapy.

Electronic communication between patients and doctors may have potential to improve medication persistence among patients with hypertension. Our objective was to examine the use of antihypertensive medication in subjects with hypertension in primary health care in Finland in a longitudinal setting.

Methods

From the primary health care register of the city of Turku in Southwestern Finland, subjects with the diagnosis of hypertension were identified. Data of number and type of antihypertensive medication was gathered in a 4-year follow-up.

Results

Sixty-one percent of the subjects with hypertension had 1-4 antihypertensive medications in regular use. Ten percent did not use antihypertensive medication at all. Higher age, higher number of GP (general practitioner) visits, telephone contacts and electronic communication and presence of diabetes were associated with regular use of antihypertensive medication.

The most common antihypertensive medication group in regular use was ACE inhibitor/ARB-blocker (41%), followed by beta blockers (18%), diuretics (16%) and calcium channel blockers (15%).

Conclusions

Regular use of antihypertensive therapy was associated with the use of frequent GP contacts during the 4-year follow-up.