The adoption of hypertension reference framework: an investigation among primary care physicians of Hong Kong

Fang, Y. et al. (2018) The adoption of hypertension reference framework: an investigation among primary care physicians of Hong Kong. PLoS ONE, 13(10), e0205529. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205529) (PMID:30300397) (PMCID:PMC6177174)

Abstract

Background: The Hong Kong Government released a Reference Framework (RF-HT) for Hypertension Care for Adults in Primary Care Settings since 2010. No studies have evaluated its adoption by primary care physicians (PCPs) since its release. Aim: We aimed to evaluate the level of PCPs’ adoption of the RF-HT and the potential barriers of its use in family practice. Design and setting: A cross-sectional study was conducted by a self-administered validated survey among all PCPs in Hong Kong through various means. Methods: We assessed the level of and factors associated with its adoption by multivariate logistic regression modelling. Result: A total of 3,857 invitation episodes were sent to 2,297 PCPs in 2014–2015. We received 383 completed questionnaires. The average score of adoption was 3.43 out of 4.00, and 47.5% of PCPs highly adopted RF-HT in their daily consultations. Male practitioners (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.524, 95% CI = 0.290–0.948, p = 0.033) and PCPs of public sector (aOR = 0.524, 95% CI = 0.292–0.940, p = 0.030) were significantly less likely to adopt the RF-HT. PCPs with higher training completion or being academic fellow are more likely to adopt RF-HT than those who were “nil to basic training completion” (aOR = 0.479, 95% CI = 0.269–0.853, p = 0.012) or “higher trainee” (aOR = 0.302, 95% CI = 0.093–0.979, p = 0.046). Three most-supported suggestions on RF-HT improvement were simplification of RF-HT, provision of pocket version and promoting in patients. Conclusion: Among PCP respondents, the adoption level of the RF-HT was high. These findings also highlighted some factors associated with its adoption that could inform targeted interventions for enhancing its use in clinical practice.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Funding: This study is funded by Health and Medical Research Fund of the Food and Health Bureau, HKSAR (Ref. No. 12131241).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Wang, Professor Haoxiang

Creator Roles

Wang, H. H.X.: Writing – original draft

• Authors: Fang, Y., Wang, H. H.X., Liang, M., Yeung, M. S., Leung, C., Chan, C. H., Cheung, W., Huang, J. L. W., Huang, J., Sit, R. W. S., Wong, S. Y. S., and Wong, M. C. S.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Public Health
• Journal Name: PLoS ONE
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• ISSN (Online): 1932-6203
• Published Online: 09 October 2018
• First Published: First published in PLoS ONE 13(10):e0205529
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license