The Hypertension Canada Guidelines are part of our knowledge translation program, which targets health care professionals in clinical and community settings, provides annually updated standardized clinical practice guidelines to detect, treat and control hypertension. The biennial update process includes development of the guidelines, dissemination (both printed and electronic) and evaluation.
The evidence-based Guidelines are developed through intense discussion of the clinical implications via a systematic review of the literature followed by critical appraisals of all the new clinical research and taking into account the assessment criteria in the AGREE II instrument. AGREE II stands for the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE) Instrument which evaluates the process of practice guideline development and the quality of reporting. Read more about the process here.
The Hypertension Canada Guidelines are then translated and adapted into educational materials for professionals and the public. The Hypertension Canada Guidelines are published in lay and health care professional journals; can be accessed free online; are available in print for members in medical offices, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, education centres; and can also be found in the free Hypertension Canada Guidelines mobile application for Apple and Android devices.
The members of the Guidelines Committee are unpaid volunteers — clinical and scientific health care professionals who contribute their time and expertise to the biennial development and dissemination of the Hypertension Canada Guidelines. To maintain professional credibility of the content, the process for the development of the recommendations is fully independent and free from external influence. External partners assist with dissemination.
