Journal of general internal medicine
September 18, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Physicians' Beliefs About Treating Asymptomatic Elevated Blood Pressure Readings Among Hospitalized Patients.
Pfoh ER, Harris CM, Singh M, +5 more, Rothberg MB.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
A multi-institution survey found that nearly half of hospitalist physicians do not believe asymptomatic elevated blood pressure in hospitalized patients should be routinely treated, though most would be more inclined to treat in patients with a history of heart failure, stroke, myocardial infarction, or coronary disease.
What was studied
A cross-sectional survey conducted at five institutions in 2024 of hospitalists, assessing their approach and preferences for intensifying antihypertensive medications in inpatients with asymptomatic elevated blood pressure (defined as ≥140/90 mmHg).
Key findings
- Of 166 respondents (response rate 24-64% across sites), 27% (n=45) agreed that treating asymptomatic elevated BP was important, while 47% disagreed; responses were similar across sites.
- The median threshold reported for intensifying treatment was 170-179 mmHg systolic.
- Physicians reported being more likely to treat patients with a history of heart failure (73%), stroke (73%), myocardial infarction (64%), or coronary disease (57%).
- Physicians reported strong agreement that they prefer not to be contacted by nurses about an asymptomatic elevated BP reading below a certain threshold (exact threshold not clearly specified in the available abstract text).
Clinical relevance
The findings suggest considerable variability and a lack of consensus among hospitalists regarding treatment of asymptomatic elevated BP, which the authors note reflects the absence of high-quality evidence in this area; this survey describes physician beliefs rather than establishing an evidence-based treatment threshold.
Who should care
Limitations
Cross-sectional survey design captures self-reported beliefs/preferences rather than actual practice or patient outcomes; response rates varied by site (24-64%), raising potential for non-response bias; the abstract text available is incomplete in places (e.g., exact BP thresholds for some findings are unclear).
Nearly half of surveyed hospitalists do not believe asymptomatic elevated blood pressure in hospitalized patients warrants routine treatment, reflecting the lack of clear evidence in this area.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background
Currently, there is no high-quality evidence guiding the treatment of asymptomatic elevated BP readings in hospitalized patients.
Objective
We conducted a nationwide survey of hospitalists to identify their preferences for treating patients with asymptomatic elevated BP readings.
Methods
This cross-sectional survey was conducted at five institutions in 2024. The questions, written by the research team, asked about physicians' approach and preferences for intensifying antihypertensive medications for inpatients with asymptomatic elevated BP. We defined "elevated BP" as ≥ 140/90 mmHg and < 210/120 mmHg. We performed a descriptive analysis of the responses and compared responses across sites.
Results
We received 166 responses (response rate ranged from 24 to 64% across five hospitals). There was variation in the importance of treating asymptomatically elevated BP with 27% (n = 45) agreeing it important and 47% disagreeing. This response was similar across all sites. The median threshold for intensification was 170-179 mmHg. Most physicians reported that they would be more likely to treat patients with a history of heart failure (73%), stroke (73%), myocardial infarction (64%), or coronary disease (57%). Physicians reported strong agreement that they "prefer not to be contacted by nurses about an asymptomatic systolic BP reading < 170 mmHg" and agreed that "treatment is driven by nurses calling physicians."
Conclusion
Almost half of the physicians believed that in the hospital setting, asymptomatic elevated BP should not be routinely treated.
DOI
10.1007/s11606-026-10708-9
PMID
42760462
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
Want more like this?
Browse more from the feed. A free account unlocks the full feed, saving and communities.
Back to the research feed