Objective: This needs assessment of general practitioners (GPs) aimed to identify and explore strategies to improve the management of hypertension in primary care.
Methods: Qualitative focus group study involving 25 GPs and GP registrars. The focus groups were recorded, transcribed and common emerging themes were analysed by an iterative thematic process. The results were compared with spontaneous suggestions that arose from a previous qualitative study.
Results: Changes were suggested at an individual, social, organisational, economic and political level. The predominant themes: GPs want a standardised approach to both the measurement and interpretation of blood pressure (BP). They also want consistent, valid readings taken on one standardised, reliable device which accurately measures the patient’s BP in the ‘real world’. GPs want evidence and guidance regarding the best current technology to measure BP, to be upskilled in areas such as the interpretation of ambulatory BP results and the use of the cardiovascular risk assessment tool, and want this information to be available through a single website, accessible via practice software. Suggestions were made for improving patient awareness at an individual and population level regarding BP, cardiovascular risk and possible therapies. At a systems level, policy changes were suggested including: Medicare and funding changes, changes to education in schools, preventive public health campaigns, and improving access to information.
Conclusions: Individual and population approaches are required to facilitate improvements in preventive cardiovascular risk factor management.