Impact of Social Deprivation on Blood Pressure Monitoring in England
Author Information
Author(s): Mark Ashworth, Jibby Medina, Myfanwy Morgan
Primary Institution: King’s College London
Hypothesis
The study aims to determine the levels of blood pressure monitoring and control in primary care and the effect of social deprivation on these levels.
Conclusion
Blood pressure monitoring and control have improved significantly in England, with a notable reduction in the achievement gap between deprived and less deprived areas.
Supporting Evidence
- Blood pressure monitoring levels rose by 5% over three years.
- By 2007, 88% of adults had their blood pressure measured in the past five years.
- The gap in blood pressure monitoring between deprived and less deprived areas narrowed significantly.
- Improvements in blood pressure control were observed across all chronic conditions studied.
- Practices in deprived areas showed marked improvements in blood pressure target achievement.
Takeaway
Doctors are getting better at checking blood pressure for everyone, even in poorer areas, which is good news for health.
Methodology
Retrospective longitudinal survey using data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework over three years.
Potential Biases
There may be bias due to exception reporting and the ecological fallacy from using practice postcodes as proxies for patient-level data.
Limitations
The study may overestimate success due to unvalidated practice disease registers and potential biases in reporting.
Participant Demographics
Data were collected from general practices across England, with a focus on patients aged 45 and older.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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