Management of Hypertension

Abstract
ARTICLES have recently appeared suggesting ways to improve physician compliance or adherence in the management of hypertension, a disease that requires continuous, long-term treatment and that most frequently is asymptomatic.1-3Patients with hypertension, unlike those with bursitis, high fever, or prominent symptoms, do not usually seek medical care and may be reluctant to accept care when it is suggested. Various methods have been used and advocated to increase patient adherence to a treatment program: the pill count, home blood pressures, drug detection tests, visiting nurse services, follow-up notices, and others. Some of these have been effective; often they are impractical. Too little attention is still being paid to the role of the physician in terms of his adherence to the management of hypertension. Several statistics stand out in a recent report from the National Heart and Lung Institute. Specifically, a definite increase has occurred in the number of patients

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