The National Hypertension Taskforce has unveiled an ambitious plan to make Australia a global leader in preventing, detecting and treating high blood pressure.
Annual checkups, simplified treatment guidelines and a national database: these are among key recommendations made to tackle high blood pressure – the leading cause of preventable deaths in Australia.
Of the 6.8 million Australians with hypertension, or raised blood pressure, half are unaware of their condition and only about a third (32%) have their blood pressure controlled with treatment.
Now, experts are aiming to more than double the current control rate, releasing a new roadmap which aims for at least 70% of people with hypertension to have it controlled with treatment by 2030.
The roadmap by the National Hypertension Taskforce, led by the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance and Hypertension Australia, outlines 10 priorities to better prevent, detect and effectively treat raised blood pressure – which contributes to more than 25,000 deaths in Australia each year.
Published in the , the roadmap aims to make the nation a global leader in blood pressure management, said UNSW Sydney Professor Alta Schutte, co-lead of the . Prof. Schutte holds a joint appointment as a professorial fellow at .
“Our goal is ambitious, but we must be ambitious because there are already some countries that are able to achieve this and we have all the tools available to achieve this too,” said Prof. Schutte.
While Australia was once a leader in blood pressure management, complacency had set in and control rates had stagnated over the past decade, said Prof. Schutte.
“It fell off the radar .... and we must make it a national priority once again,” she said.
“Improving blood pressure control rates in Australia is not only critical but possible. Everybody should have an interest in it because it has such a diverse set of implications on stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and dementia. If we can better detect and treat blood pressure it will have massive benefits.”
The roadmap priorities focus on team-based care, empowering the community to take charge of their health, and supporting equitable and accessible screening and health testing programs.
The first priority, Prof. Schutte said, was developing simplified guidance on blood pressure management and treatment for healthcare providers. Systematic screening for all patients visiting GP practices, increasing and maintaining awareness and establishing a national database were also key.
“Australia already has many programs for systematic screening, like for cancer, but there's no such similar program for high blood pressure, even though it's the leading risk factor for death,” Prof. Schutte said.
“By better treating high blood pressure, you can have much greater health gains than that achieved by any other medical intervention.”
On top of the health benefits, there are also substantial savings that would be made. The roadmap notes a 25% reduction in high blood pressure prevalence and more effective treatment could result in savings of more than $91 billion, considering current productivity losses due to hypertension.
Prof. Schutte would like to see all adult patients thoroughly screened for high blood pressure at least once per year, and better monitoring of those treated for high blood pressure – as most patients will need two to three medications to bring blood pressure under control. In Australia patients often only use one medication.
To reduce the pressure this would place on already time-poor GPs, it would make sense for nurses and allied health professionals to assist with blood pressure measurement and management, Prof. Schutte noted.
The roadmap is the result of consultative workshops held with National Hypertension Taskforce members, including organisations like the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Heart Foundation, the Stroke Foundation and Kidney Health Australia.
Professor Markus Schlaich, taskforce co-lead and President of Hypertension Australia said collaboration was key.
“When we come together like this, we can achieve far more than we ever would as individuals. The focus on management of high blood pressure in the community must include general practitioners, pharmacists, remote health care workers, nurse practitioners and all other healthcare providers.”
Next steps will involve engaging with the government and Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler on the funding and policy changes needed to achieve their goal by 2030, Prof. Schutte said.
Minister Butler, who launched the taskforce in 2022, welcomed the comprehensive roadmap.
“Preventing the catastrophic effects of high blood pressure is a goal we all share. We congratulate the National Hypertension Taskforce and welcome their comprehensive roadmap towards a healthier future for all Australians.”