| [RESEARCH] Effect of general practitioner education on adherence to antihypertensive -
08-11-2007, 06:00 PM
Objective To determine the impact of a simple educational package for general practitioners on adherence to antihypertensive drugs.
Design Cluster randomised controlled trial.
Setting Six randomly selected communities in Karachi, Pakistan.
Participants 200 patients with hypertension taking antihypertensive drugs; 78 general practitioners.
Intervention Care by general practitioners specially trained in management of hypertension compared with usual care.
Main outcome measure Correct dosing, defined as percentage of prescribed doses taken, measured with electronic medication event monitoring system (MEMS) bottle.
Results 200 patients were enrolled, and 178 (89%) successfully completed six weeks of follow-up. Adherence was significantly greater in the special care group than in the usual care group (unadjusted mean percentage days with correct dose 48.1%, 95% confidence interval 35.8% to 60.4%, versus 32.4%, 22.6% to 42.3%; P=0.048). Adherence was also higher among patients who had higher levels of education (P  | 
Linear Mode
