High Blood Pressure: key data sources

Scottish Health Survey

The 1995, 1998, 2003 and annual 2008-2019 Scottish Health Surveys obtained health-related data from a sample of the population of Scotland. Since 2012 measurement of blood pressure has been carried out by specially trained interviewers. Prior to 2012, blood pressure was collected in a follow-up interview conducted by survey nurses. In addition, participants were asked whether their doctor had ever told them they had high blood pressure.  The most recent report (2019) combines information on blood pressure measurements from the 2018 and 2019 surveys to increase sample size.

Quality and Outcomes Framework

High Blood Pressure was included in the Quality and Outcome Framework of the 2004 General Medical Services contract. Data are available up to 2015/16 on the prevalence of hypertension in practices based on patients diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Although QOF was discontinued from April 2017 some GP practices continue to provide GP practice level prevalence estimates for high blood pressure (hypertension).  These can be viewed via an interactive dashboard. 

Practice Team Information (PTI)

ISD's Practice Team Information (PTI) contains information about primary care data from a sample of approximately 5% of practices in Scotland. PTI provided information on the number of consultations where high blood pressure was a reason for consultation, as well as the number of patients who consulted because of high blood pressure. Data are available up to 2012-13.

Further details of these data sources are given on our overview of key data sources pages.