Study of physicians’ preferences for pharmacotherapy of arterial hypertension in pregnant women (the PHYGEST study)

Abstract

Introduction: Elevated blood pressure in a pregnant woman is associated with serious risks for the mother and fetus. Therefore, the issues of rational antihypertensive pharmacotherapy are always extremely relevant in the scientific community. Purpose of the Study: To determine the preferences of physicians in the issues of pharmacotherapy for pregnant women with arterial hypertension and evaluate the influence of specialists’ length of employment. Materials and Methods: A multicenter study (a pharmacoepidemiologic knowledge assessment) was conducted in 2018–2021 using an anonymous questionnaire with open-ended questions. This paper discusses 5 questions of the questionnaire. Results and Discussion: The preferences of practicing specialists (411 physicians from 8 regions of Russia) for the prescription of basic and additional drugs for the treatment and prevention of hypertension, the impact of the physicians’ length of employment, and the degree of compliance with current clinical guidelines were determined. Conclusions: Certain specific and not fully rational specialists’ preferences were revealed, which confirms the importance of attention to this problem and requires the introduction of additional educational and supervisory efforts in this direction, as well as the continuation of similar studies in the future.