15 research outputs found
Primary care prescribing patterns in Ireland after the publication of large hypertension trials
What is already known about this subjec
Treatment Patterns, Effectiveness, and Satisfaction Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Treated with Insulin in Saudi Arabia: Results of the RIMODIS Study
Implementing Effective Hypertension Quality Improvement Strategies: Barriers and Potential Solutions
The Moderating Effect of Job Satisfaction on Physicians’ Motivation to Adhere to Financially Incentivized Clinical Practice Guidelines
Frequency of albuminuria in primary care: a cross-sectional study
Background We aimed to assess the point prevalence of microalbuminuria (MAU) in a sample of unselected consecutive primary-care attendees, with particular focus on patients with diabetes mellitus (with and without additional concomitant diseases) and those with hypertension.
Design Cross-sectional observational study in a nationwide representative sample of 1912 primary-care practices and a patient population consisting of 39 125 primary-care attendees. Diagnoses for diabetes, hypertension and co-morbidities were provided by the treating physician and complemented by blood pressure (BP) measurements and selected lab tests. Screening for microalbuminuria (>20 and <200 mu g/ml) was done with a spot urine dipstick test.
Results The clinical diagnosis of nephropathy was assigned to 7.6% of patients. The point prevalence of MAU was 19.0% in the total sample; the proportion was 33.6% in diabetics whereas the diagnosis was assigned to only 71% in the total sample. Amongst diabetic patients with MAU, 92.6% had BP above the target value of 140/90 mmHg). Of note, patients with MAU had a higher burden of co-morbidity compared to those without MAU.
Conclusions We found a high prevalence of MAU in primary care, particularly in diabetic patients. The frequency of MAU was closely related to the BP level and the degree of co-morbidity. The present study underlines the magnitude of the problem of MAU in primary care, and should serve as a starting point to initiate measures to address this important public health issue