Research on the control rate of hypertension under family physician-contracted service

Background Hypertension is one of the global public health problems. Family physician-contracted service (FPCS) is widely used in the health management of hypertension patients in China. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of FPCS on hypertension control. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Network, Chinese Scientific and Technological Journal Database (CQVIP), and Wanfang Database were searched for randomized controlled trials related to family physician-contracted service and hypertension control effect, and meta-analysis was performed on the literature meeting the inclusion criteria. The source of heterogeneity was discovered by meta-regression, and it was further investigated by subgroup analysis. The risk difference (RD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were utilized as effect values. Evaluations of publication bias and sensitivity analysis were also conducted. Results A total of 46 studies were included, and the pooled RD suggested that FPCS could effectively improve the control rate by 19% (RD = 0.19; 95%CI: 0.16–0.21; P < 0.001; I 2 = 59.3%). The average age (β = 0.28; P = 0.05) and the intervention mode (β = 0.36; P < 0.001) were found to be heterogeneous sources by the meta-regression. According to subgroup analysis, the hypertension control rates of the elderly and working-age population in the experimental group were 93.6% and 90.1%, respectively; the control rates of the “family physician” mode (FP), “family physician + patient” mode (FPP) and “family physician + patient + family member” mode (FPPF) in the experimental group were 90.1%, 94.4%, and 92.6%, respectively. The sensitivity analysis revealed steady results, with no discernible publication bias. Conclusions The FPCS is beneficial to the control of hypertension. The control effect is influenced by average age and intervention mode. The control effect of hypertension in the elderly is better than that in the working-age population, and FPP and FPPF are more beneficial to the management of hypertension than FP. The quality and continuity of FPCS should receive more focus in the future, patient self-management and family support are also essential for managing hypertension.