A POTENTIAL ROLE FOR A QUALITY ASSURANCE APPROACH IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION

A recognised means of ensuring effective use of scarce resources is to provide clinicians with a restricted choice of drugs in the form of a formulary, and to promote rational use of such drugs by providing tre atment guidelines. However, compliance with such guidelines and positi ve clinical outcome resulting from their use should be demonstrated by institutional quality assurance efforts. This paper uses the results of two drug-use evaluations performed at King Edward VIII Hospital to illustrate the application of this technique to the management of hype rtension. Reviews of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use and o f calcium channel blocker use each revealed inappropriate choices of a gents that possibly contributed to a less than optimal level of blood pressure control. Data of this nature can be used to aid formulary man agement at the institutional level.