Evidence Synthesis: Hypertension Medication Adherence & Intensification

Hypertension affects nearly 50 million Americans \[1\] and is the most common chronic condition among veterans. Unfortunately, many patients with established hypertension have poorly controlled blood pressure (BP); control rates in the VA are at approximately 70% currently. While clinician failure to aggressively manage hypertension through therapeutic intensification (clinical inertia, or failure to intensify pharmacotherapy appropriately) contributes to poor blood pressure control, even when doctors do intensify therapy, 43-78% of patients fail to adhere to recommended therapies, indicating that adherence remains a central problem in hypertension care. This suggests important opportunities for interventions to improve risk factor control by working through clinicians, their teams, or their delivery systems, as well as with patients, to address both patient adherence and clinical inertia.