Parents, Clinicians Skeptical of Children”s High Blood Pressure Readings

MONDAY, Dec. 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Both parents of children with hypertension and treating clinicians are aware of the importance of addressing pediatric hypertension but show significant mistrust in clinic blood pressure measurements, according to a study published online Dec. 13 in JAMA Network Open.

Abbas H. Zaidi, M.D., from Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, Delaware, and colleagues examined the knowledge and perceptions of parents and health care teams regarding pediatric hypertension. The analysis included interviews with 13 parents of children diagnosed with hypertension who did not follow up within one year of diagnosis and 25 health care clinicians (medical assistants, nurses, managers, pediatricians, and nurse practitioners) across 10 clinics.

The researchers found that parents and clinicians reported awareness of the significance of pediatric hypertension. Parents reported annual blood pressure checks were important. Clinicians reported having competing priorities during annual visits. Both parents and clinicians expressed skepticism about high blood pressure readings, attributing them to situational factors or white coat syndrome. Parents and clinicians similarly shared concerns about medication use, and both preferred lifestyle change. While parents advocated for further testing, clinicians showed varying perspectives on additional diagnostics, emphasizing targeted testing strategies and cautious medication approaches.

“These findings suggest that skepticism about blood pressure readings, medication concerns, and preference for nonpharmacologic interventions among parents and clinicians contribute to low pediatric hypertension detection and management, necessitating incorporation of their perspectives for improvement,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial