Developing and validating a survey to assess physician-implementation of dietary guidelines for patients with hypertension in primary care

Abstract

Dietary modifications are a key component for the health behaviour management of hypertension. Primary care physicians are key facilitators in encouraging patients with hypertension to adopt healthy diets; however, barriers related to nutrition knowledge, attitudes and behaviours may influence their provision of diet to hypertensive patients. Such barriers have not been well described in the literature. The study objective was to develop and validate a survey to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of dietary guidelines for hypertensive patients. A MEDLINE search was conducted to identify physician-related barriers, and facilitators related to dietary advice in clinical practice. Content and face validity were assessed by consulting primary care physicians, experts on hypertension, and experts on survey development. Finally, a feasibility study was conducted among primary care physicians and medical residents in the Durham region, Ontario. The final web-based survey included 33 questions. The survey takes 8 minutes to complete.