Background: Hypertension (HT) is the most common condition seen in primary care. The proportion of patients with wellcontrolled HT reflects the quality of care in a given setting.

Objective: To compare the proportion of participants with controlled blood pressure (BP) in four primary care units (PCUs) in Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand.

Materials and Methods: Data concerning demography and antihypertensive drug usage were collected from the medical records of 1,690 patients in four PCUs (Songklanagarind Hospital, Municipal School 4, Banpru Municipality, and Kho Hong Municipality) between January 2019 and May 2019. The factors associated with uncontrolled HT were assessed using multiple logistic modeling and reported in terms of odds ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: The proportion of patients with controlled HT in the four PCUs and their corresponding 95% CI were 92.1% (90.8 to 93.6), 96.2% (90.3 to 98.7), 88.2% (84.3 to 90.1), and 74.5% (66.8 to 81.2). Of the total number of patients with controlled HT, 64.4% were female. The odds ratios and the 95% CI of the significantly associated factors with uncontrolled HT were PCU of site 3 and 4 (1.7, 1.1 to 2.6 and 3.0, 1.8 to 5.1), age of 65 years or older (0.7, 0.5 to 0.9), and dyslipidemia (0.7, 0.5 to 1.0).

Conclusion: There were differences in quality of care among the PCUs, and they are associated with patient age and comorbidities like dyslipidemia.

Keywords: Hypertension, Essential hypertension, Hypertensive treatment, Blood pressure, Primary care unit

DOI: doi.org/10.35755/jmedassocthai.2020.05.11025

Received 14 Jan 2020 | Revised 24 Mar 2020 | Accepted 25 Mar 2020