Blood pressure control and awareness among patients with diabetes and hypertension attending a tertiary ophthalmic clinic

Abstract

AIMS: To assess the proportion of patients who had diabetes and hypertension with optimal blood pressure (BP) control and to describe patients' awareness of the importance of BP control. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of out-patients with diabetes who attended the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) was conducted between October 2006 and February 2007. Of 245 patients invited, 220 (90%) participated. Optimal BP control was defined as BP < 130/80 mmHg recorded at the latest visit; proportions of patients with awareness of BP control were defined non-exclusively by: (i) ability to recall a previous BP record and rate the appropriateness of that BP level; (ii) ability..