Abstract
IMPORTANCE: In 2016 and 2017, respectively, new Canadian and US guidelines for diagnosis and management of pediatric hypertension (HTN) were published. Six years after their publication, it is unknown whether the recommendations have led to changes in primary care practice patterns. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether HTN guidelines are associated with changes in practice patterns among primary care clinicians. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective, multicenter, population-based cohort study was conducted across 3 phases: January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2015 (era 1), January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017 (washout period), and January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019 (era 2). Data were collected from 7 Canadian provinces using the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network Electronic Medical Record database. Eligible participants included children and adolescents (aged ≥3 to <18 years) with 1 or more encounters in the database. Data analysis was conducted from February 2022 to February 2023. EXPOSURE: Implementation of the 2016 Hypertension Canada and 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcomes were annual BP screening documentation, high BP follow-up documentation at 6 months and 1-year, HTN prevalence, laboratory testing rates, and medication prescription rates. Interrupted time series analysis was used to assess the association of the introduction of the Canadian and US guidelines with outcomes. RESULTS: The study included 343 191 children and adolescents (mean [SD] age at first encounter, 6.7 (4.6) years; 173 290 female [50.5%]; 169 901 male [49.5%]), including 235 094 patients in era 1 and 193 473 patients in era 2. In era 1, 55 550 patients (23.6%) had at least 1 BP measurement, and in era 2, 45 006 patients (23.3%) had at least 1 BP measurement. There was a significant increase in BP screening in era 2 from 26 876 of 148 554 screenings (18.1%) to 28 556 of 141 192 screenings (20.2%; β = 0.202; 95% CI, 0.009 to 0.390; P = .04), and the increasing trend was sustained. There was a significant decrease in the trend of follow-up of high BP measurement at 6 months (1265 of 4941 patients with BP measurements [25.6%] to 1718 of 7321 patients with BP measurements [23.5%]; β = -0.490; 95% CI, -0.758 to -0.223; P = .001) and 1 year (1974 of 4941 measurements [40.0%] to 2314 of 7321 measurements [31.6%]; β = -1.392; 95% CI, -1.573 to -1.212; P < .001) in era 2. The proportion of patients meeting HTN criteria significantly increased from 2540 of 55 550 patients (4.6%) in era 1 to 5690 of 45 006 patients (12.6%) in era 2 (β = 0.0210; 95% CI, 0.0021 to 0.0410; P = .03). There was no significant change in the trend of laboratory testing rates in era 2 (949 of 4941 patients tested [19.2%] to 1149 of 7321 patients tested [15.7%]; β = -0.159; 95% CI, -0.364 to 0.046; P = .12). The trend in prescribing of medications to patients with HTN also decreased in era 2 (1305 of 4941 patients prescribed medication [26.4%] to 1415 of 7321 patients prescribed medication [19.3%]; β = -0.605; 95% CI, -0.830 to -0.358; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings of this cohort study within the Canadian primary care setting suggest that there was a significant increase in BP screening and HTN prevalence after the publication of national and international HTN guidelines; however, the follow-up of high BP was still suboptimal. Increasing rates of pediatric HTN emphasize the need for better adherence to pediatric HTN guidelines to improve care and outcomes.