[Evaluation of physicians' compliance with the hypertension protocol of the Municipal Health Department of the city of Curitiba].

BACKGROUND In Curitiba, systemic hypertension (SH) is the second leading cause of hospitalization and the leading cause of death from cardiovascular diseases. The protocols for the treatment of hypertension provide a systematic approach to patient management, aiming at improving the efficiency and quality of health services. OBJECTIVE To evaluate medical professionals' compliance with the protocol of hypertension of the Municipal Health Department (MHD) of the city of Curitiba. METHODS This was a cross-sectional observational study. The data collection for the study was conducted in four health units in Curitiba. The sample consisted of 200 hypertensive patients enrolled in the hypertension program. The collected data refers to the first two consultations. The data source was the electronic records of the health units. The protocol used for comparative analysis was the protocol of the Municipal Health Department of Curitiba. RESULTS The non-conformity percentage between clinical practice and the protocol in the first consultation was 56.8% on hypertension grade classification, 63.8% on cardiovascular risk evaluation, and 54% on treatment. In the second consultation, the non-conformity percentage was 67% on risk evaluation, and 51.3% on treatment. CONCLUSION The non-conformity between clinical practice and the protocol of the MHD of Curitiba was evident on hypertension grade classification, cardiovascular risk evaluation, and treatment of hypertensive patients. This non-conformity may result in low efficiency of the health service, which hinders the efforts to reduce morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease in the population.