Mexican cross-sectional study links greater delivery of recommended care with higher perceived quality among adults with uncontrolled hypertension

The study abstract reports that adults with uncontrolled hypertension received relatively low levels of recommended clinical care and lifestyle counseling, while generally rating their care favorably. Delivery of both types of activity was associated with higher perceived quality-of-care scores, but the cross-sectional analysis cannot establish that the activities caused better ratings or improved blood-pressure control.

Researchers analyzed baseline data from a Mexican non-communicable disease e-Cohort recruited from August through November 2025. The cross-sectional study included 1,500 patients aged 40 to 75 with uncontrolled hypertension enrolled at 18 primary care clinics. Questionnaires developed by the Quality Evidence for Health System Transformation network were adapted and validated for the Mexican context. The primary outcome was a perceived quality-of-care score, while separate scores measured the delivery of required clinical activities and lifestyle counseling. Analyses included descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression.

Among the participants, more than 90% were classified as obese or overweight, 45.6% had diabetes, and 70% had high cardiovascular risk. On average, patients received 45% of the required clinical activities and 16.7% of lifestyle counseling. The median perceived quality-of-care score was 24 out of 40. In the adjusted linear regression, greater delivery of recommended clinical activities was independently associated with a higher perceived quality-of-care score (β = 0.08, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.12). Greater delivery of lifestyle counseling was also independently associated with higher scores (β = 0.03, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.05). Patients at higher cardiovascular risk reported poorer perceived quality of care.

The findings describe an observational association at one point in the study and do not demonstrate a causal effect, a change in blood-pressure control, or a change in patients’ cardiovascular risk. The sample was limited to people aged 40 to 75 with uncontrolled hypertension attending 18 Mexican primary care clinics, so the results may not apply to all adults with hypertension or to health systems outside that setting. The available evidence is the study abstract rather than a full appraisal of the article, and it does not provide enough detail to assess additional methodological limitations or determine whether the reported relationships persist over time. The abstract concludes that routine assessment of patient-reported experiences may help identify opportunities for quality improvement in hypertension care, but that statement is presented as a potential quality-improvement use rather than evidence of improved clinical outcomes.

Subject of Research: Perceived care quality and recommended service delivery among Mexican adults with uncontrolled hypertension

Article Title: Quality of patient-centered care for individuals with uncontrolled hypertension: findings from the Mexican e-Cohort

Article References: Doubova, S. V., Guzmán Medina, E., Paredes-Cruz, M., Pérez Moran, D., García Méndez, R. C., Espinoza Anrubio, G., Moreno Noguez, M., Pérez Ruiz, C. E., Sánchez Cruz, J. F., López Aparicio, L. R., Berumen-Lechuga, M. G., Sauceda Valenzuela, A. L., & Pérez-Cuevas, R. (2026). Quality of patient-centered care for individuals with uncontrolled hypertension: findings from the Mexican e-Cohort. BMC Health Services Research. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15713-6

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12913-026-15713-6

Keywords: uncontrolled hypertension, patient-centered care, Mexico, cross-sectional study, perceived quality of care, clinical activities, lifestyle counseling, cardiovascular risk, primary care, e-Cohort, Quality, patient-centered