Researchers from Imperial College London found that black hypertensive patients were 14 per cent less likely to reach BP targets than white patients.
'Although the presence of two or more cardiovascular comorbidities was associated with significantly decreased mean systolic BP in the white group, this was not the case in the black or South Asian groups,' the researchers said.
They called for extra pay incentives to improve management of BME patients with long-term conditions.
'Our findings suggest that the management of hypertension in ethnic minority groups remains suboptimal, particularly in individuals with cardiovascular comorbidities.
'This is despite a sustained period of investment in healthcare quality improvement in England and a health care system that offers universal access to services free at the point of use,' the researchers said.
- Annals of Family Medicine 2008; 6: 490-6.
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