Are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation?
Background: The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which primary care doctors assessed patients newly diagnosed with hypertension for the risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) during the patients’ first clinic visit for hypertension. The study also aimed to examine the trend of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Stamford Publishing
2015
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/43831/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/43831/1/Are%20doctors%20assessing%20patients%20with%20hypertension%20appropriately%20at%20their%20initial%20.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848850334860967936 |
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| author | Wong, Stalia Siew Lee Ping, Yein Lee Chirk, Jenn Ng Hanafi, Nik Sherina Yook, Chin Chia Siew, Pauline Mei Lai Su, May Liew Ee, Ming Khoo |
| author_facet | Wong, Stalia Siew Lee Ping, Yein Lee Chirk, Jenn Ng Hanafi, Nik Sherina Yook, Chin Chia Siew, Pauline Mei Lai Su, May Liew Ee, Ming Khoo |
| author_sort | Wong, Stalia Siew Lee |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background:
The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which primary care doctors assessed patients newly diagnosed with hypertension for the risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) during the patients’ first clinic visit for hypertension. The study also aimed to examine the trend of assessment for CVD risk factors over a 15-year period.
Methods:
This retrospective study was conducted between January and May 2012. Data was extracted from the paper-based medical records of patients with hypertension using a 1:4 systematic random sampling method. Data collected included CVD risk factors and a history of target organ damage (TOD), which were identified during the patient’s first visit to the primary care doctor for hypertension, as well as the results of the physical examinations and investigations performed during the same visit.
Result:
A total of 1,060 medical records were reviewed. We found that assessment of CVD risk factors during the first clinic visit for hypertension was poor (5.4%–40.8%). Assessments for a history of TOD were found in only 5.8%–11.8% of the records, and documented physical examinations and investigations for the assessment of TOD and secondary hypertension ranged from 0.1%–63.3%. Over time, there was a decreasing trend in the percentage of documented physical examinations performed, but an increasing trend in the percentage of investigations ordered
Conclusion:
There was poor assessment of the patients’ CVD risk factors, secondary causes of hypertension and TOD at their first clinic visit for hypertension. The trends observed in the assessment suggest an over-reliance on investigations over clinical examinations. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T10:04:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-43831 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T10:04:39Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Stamford Publishing |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-438312016-09-21T07:58:55Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/43831/ Are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation? Wong, Stalia Siew Lee Ping, Yein Lee Chirk, Jenn Ng Hanafi, Nik Sherina Yook, Chin Chia Siew, Pauline Mei Lai Su, May Liew Ee, Ming Khoo Background: The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which primary care doctors assessed patients newly diagnosed with hypertension for the risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) during the patients’ first clinic visit for hypertension. The study also aimed to examine the trend of assessment for CVD risk factors over a 15-year period. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between January and May 2012. Data was extracted from the paper-based medical records of patients with hypertension using a 1:4 systematic random sampling method. Data collected included CVD risk factors and a history of target organ damage (TOD), which were identified during the patient’s first visit to the primary care doctor for hypertension, as well as the results of the physical examinations and investigations performed during the same visit. Result: A total of 1,060 medical records were reviewed. We found that assessment of CVD risk factors during the first clinic visit for hypertension was poor (5.4%–40.8%). Assessments for a history of TOD were found in only 5.8%–11.8% of the records, and documented physical examinations and investigations for the assessment of TOD and secondary hypertension ranged from 0.1%–63.3%. Over time, there was a decreasing trend in the percentage of documented physical examinations performed, but an increasing trend in the percentage of investigations ordered Conclusion: There was poor assessment of the patients’ CVD risk factors, secondary causes of hypertension and TOD at their first clinic visit for hypertension. The trends observed in the assessment suggest an over-reliance on investigations over clinical examinations. Stamford Publishing 2015 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/43831/1/Are%20doctors%20assessing%20patients%20with%20hypertension%20appropriately%20at%20their%20initial%20.pdf Wong, Stalia Siew Lee and Ping, Yein Lee and Chirk, Jenn Ng and Hanafi, Nik Sherina and Yook, Chin Chia and Siew, Pauline Mei Lai and Su, May Liew and Ee, Ming Khoo (2015) Are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation? Singapore Medical Journal, 56 (9). pp. 518-522. ISSN 0037-5675 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4582132/ 10.11622/smedj.2015137 |
| spellingShingle | Wong, Stalia Siew Lee Ping, Yein Lee Chirk, Jenn Ng Hanafi, Nik Sherina Yook, Chin Chia Siew, Pauline Mei Lai Su, May Liew Ee, Ming Khoo Are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation? |
| title | Are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation? |
| title_full | Are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation? |
| title_fullStr | Are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation? |
| title_short | Are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation? |
| title_sort | are doctors assessing patients with hypertension appropriately at their initial presentation? |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/43831/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/43831/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/43831/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/43831/1/Are%20doctors%20assessing%20patients%20with%20hypertension%20appropriately%20at%20their%20initial%20.pdf |