• Amélie Richard, Jeromine Trefond, Céline Lambert, Guillaume Balandreaud, and Hélène Vaillant-Roussel.
• Department of General Practice, Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
• Fam Pract. 2023 Feb 9; 40 (1): 556055-60.

PurposeBlood pressure (BP) is measured at almost every general practitioner (GP) consultation in the region of Auvergne, France. A 2018 qualitative study shows that GPs measure BP to satisfy patients, whereas patients declare themselves indifferent to the absence of the measurement. The objective was to validate the results of a qualitative study, to quantitatively assess patient satisfaction when BP is not measured, and to study the factors associated with the degree of patient satisfaction.MethodsThis was a quantitative observational study conducted using self-questionnaires among patients in medical practices in Auvergne.ResultsFour hundred and ninety-two questionnaires were evaluated in 20 medical practices. Sixty percent of patients had indifferent or favorable feelings in the absence of BP measurement. In bivariate analysis, young age, male sex, absence of pathology, and low frequency of visits were associated with indifferent or favorable feelings in the absence of BP measurement. In multivariable analysis, a history of hypertension and psychiatric history were associated with unfavorable feelings. The intraclass correlation coefficient for practice-related variability was 5.6%. Patients' susceptibility to having particularly favorable or unfavorable feelings could be related to their GP (physician effect).ConclusionThe hypothesis put forward in the qualitative study is confirmed: the majority of patients are in favor of or indifferent to the absence of BP measurement in general practice. General practice could be more efficient by measuring BP less frequently and better.© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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