Abstract

Introduction: Prescription of the right antihypertensive drug plays a key role in treatment and prevention of serious side effects for patients. The present study aims to identify the types of hypertension medications prescribed by general practitioners and the degree to which they agree with 2018 ESC (European Society of Cardiology) and ESH (European Society of Hypertension) Guidelines for the management of hypertension in the health centers of villages near a city in the province of Fars, south of Iran. Materials and Methods: The present study is a descriptive, cross-sectional work where 300 individuals with hypertension were selected from 30 villages according to the cluster sampling method. Data were collected using a checklist which addressed the respondent's demographics, underlying disease, and type of hypertension medication. Subsequently, the extent of consistency between the prescribed medications and the hypertension guidelines were examined. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS-23. Results: The participants ranged from 37 to 59 years of age with an average age of 47.23 +/- 15.1 years. 60 of the patients studied had stage 1, 30 stage 2, and 10 had stage 3 hypertension. Beta blockers were found to be the medications most frequently prescribed by the general practitioners. Most of the patients with cardiac disorders, diabetes, and kidney failure had been prescribed beta blockers, which was not in accordance with the new hypertension guidelines. Conclusion: Medications prescribed for patients with hypertension are usually not consistent with hypertension guidelines. It is recommended that general practitioners' awareness of hypertension guidelines be raised through workshops in order to decrease or prevent the serious consequences of hypertension in patients by treating them correctly.