Evaluation of the general approaches to hypertension management of family physicians working in family health centers in Sakarya province

AIM:Hypertension is a high-prevalence disease, often presenting with nonspecific symptoms and associated with metabolic dysfunctions. Family physicians play an important role in the early diagnosis and effective management of hypertension. This study aims to assess the knowledge of family physicians practicing in Sakarya province regarding hypertension management, to identify factors that may affect this knowledge, and to increase the awareness of physicians on this topic. MATERIALS AND METHODS:A cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted between April 1 and April 30, 2025, with the participation of 212 family physicians practicing in Sakarya. Data were collected using a 22-item online questionnaire and subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS:The participants consisted of 66.5% general practitioners, 17.5% family medicine residents, and 16.0% family medicine specialists. It was observed that the majority of physicians (72%) had more than six years of professional experience, managed a high volume of registered patients (3000-4000), and had limited consultation times per patient (≤5 minutes). Hypertension was identified as the most frequently encountered chronic disease (19.0%). It was determined that family medicine specialists had statistically significantly lower referral rates (p<0.05) and a significantly higher tendency to use clinical guidelines (p<0.001) compared to general practitioners and family medicine residents. CONCLUSION:Our study determined that family medicine specialists show superiority in the diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment processes of hypertensive patients in terms of adherence to current national and international guidelines, patient referral rates, and perceived self-efficacy. These findings reveal the central role of family medicine in increasing the quality of hypertension management and improving patient outcomes. Accordingly, strengthening the discipline of family medicine, optimizing working conditions, and expanding continuing professional development programs is important. Keywords:Family medicine, primary health care, hypertension, hypertension management.