Treating blood pressure to goal by overcoming therapeutic inertia and non-adherence | Cumplimiento del objetivo terapéutico en la hipertensión mediante la superación de la inercia y la falta de adhesión al tratamiento

Hypertension is a common condition and the most frequently managed problem in general practice. High blood pressure (BP) is a leading cause of mortality and disease burden. Globally, it has been difficult to attain optimal hypertension treatment and control rates. Although current practice guidelines recommendtreating patients with hypertension to defined BP goals, the approach is not widely implemented, andBP control in clinical practice is much worse than that attained in clinical trials. Insufficient awareness orpoor application of hypertension guidelines by physicians may be an impediment to achieving adequateBP control rates in clinical practice. Therefore, both the initiation of antihypertensive medication and theintensification of treatment to therapeutic goals in those with hypertension have been identified as evidencepractice gaps (therapeutic inertia). Identifying the barriers that prevent the best use of evidence isan important first step in designing an intervention to close that evidence practice gap. The practical valueof any therapy depends on a combination of effectiveness and the extent to which the patient adheres tothe prescribed treatment. Even in highly developed countries only half of the patients treated for hypertensionadhere to the prescribed treatment. The consequence of the low rates of adherence to BP-loweringtherapy is the increasing clinical and economic burden of those conditions. Targeting therapeutic inertiaand adherence to medication through a variety of strategies may help in reducing lost therapeutic benefit. Copyright © Sociedad Iberoamericana de Información Científica (SIIC), 2013.