Hypertension guideline adherence of private practitioners and primary health care physicians in Pretoria

Abstract

Background: Hypertension remains a healthcare problem in South Africa. When prescribing evidence-based, cost-effective anti-hypertensive treatment, guideline adherence is essential. The Joint National Committee's Sixth Report (JNC VI) built its evidence-based review on the outcome of clinical trials. The objective of this study was to assess the hypertension guideline adherence of general practitioners in private practice and of primary health care physicians in an academic government hospital setup in Pretoria, using the JNC VI guidelines.