Table 1.

General overview of guidelines [3–11]

Guidelines	Developers	Aims	Evidence used	Format
2013 ESH/ESC Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension [7] (ESH/ESC)	Task force of European scientists and physicians appointed by the ESH and ESC. Appointed based on their recognised expertise and absence of major conflict of interest	Update of the 2003 and 2007 guidelines	Highest priority RCTs and their meta-analyses Observational and other studies of an appropriate scientific calibre	Provides tables and concise recommendations that can easily be consulted by physicians The strength of the recommendations and the level of evidence are ranked Contains explanations of the supporting evidence
2013 French Society of hypertension guidelines [9]	A small working group (seven members) of academic volunteers from the French Society of Hypertension and a larger reading group of hypertension specialists and general practitioners	To produce a set of guidelines with the following characteristics: usefulness for clinical practise, short, easy-to-read format, comprehensive writing for non-physicians, wide dissemination among healthcare professionals and the hypertensive population, assessment of their impact among healthcare professionals and with regard to public health goals Designed to be an operational tool and call-to-action To improve hypertension control in the individual patient and the French population as a whole from 50 to 70 % by 2015	Literature analyses performed for previous hypertension recommendations and systematic reviews, consensus conferences, meta-analyses and national or international guidelines published in recent years	Fifteen recommendations divided into three sections (prior to treatment initiation, initial treatment plan and long-term care plan)
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 2011 Hypertension guidelines [8] (NICE)	A UK-based guideline development group consisting of professional group members and patient representatives	Update previous guidelines (2004 and 2006) Develop standards and provide recommendations for healthcare professionals for the diagnosis, treatment and management of hypertension	Systematic literature search of studies published up until November 2010 focused around specific questions, accompanied by formal cost-effectiveness analyses to support recommendations. The data analysis is completely independent. Guideline draft is subject to national open consultation by registered stakeholder groups, before completing the final draft	A quick reference guide with lists of recommendations and algorithms for diagnosis and treatment A full guide containing detailed evidence to support each of the recommendations A patient specific guide
2014 Canadian hypertension education program recommendations [6] (CHEP)	Expert subgroups made up of volunteer members of the CHEP committee who are fully independent and free from external influence. The guidelines are developed independently from the government	Annually updated evidence based recommendations for healthcare providers To improve hypertension prevention, detection and management in Canada	An annual systematic literature search was used to identify: RCTs and systematic reviews of RCTs for treatment recommendations Cross-sectional and cohort studies for assessing diagnosis and prognosis	Complete recommendations: a book containing extensive lists and tables of recommendations and a diagnosis algorithm Increasingly sophisticated web-based approaches for more effective dissemination and implementation (www.hypertension.ca)
2013 Clinical practise guidelines for the management of hypertension in the community. A statement by the American Society of Hypertension and the International Society of Hypertension (ASH/ISH) [5]	Developed by members of ASH and ISH on a volunteer basis. The societies sponsored the guidelines and no additional external funding was used Endorsed by the Asia Pacific Society of Hypertension	Provide a straightforward set of recommendations for healthcare workers to care for people with hypertension	Based on current guidelines Considered costs of diagnosis, monitoring and treatment	Lists of recommendations Tables detailing recommended drugs Treatment algorithm
An effective approach to high blood pressure control: a science advisory from the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (AHA/ACC/CDC) [4]	A writing group composed of members of the societies	Develop a hypertension treatment algorithm to be implemented as part of a systematic approach to control hypertension Designed to complement clinical guidelines	Not specified	Treatment algorithm Description of how and why the algorithm was developed
2014 Evidence-based guideline for the management of high blood pressure in adults. Report from the panel members appointed to the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8) [3]	A panel of around 50 healthcare professionals (appointed from >400 nominees) with a range of expertise It is important to note that although the committee was originally formed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the guidelines were subsequently developed and published independently and are not endorsed by the NHBLI	Provide clinicians with evidence based recommendations for the management of high BP Update JNC 7 guidelines (published in 2003)	Systematic review of RCTs published between January 1996 and August 2013, containing more than 100 people with a follow-up period of at least 1 year	Nine treatment recommendations Treatment algorithm Presents evidence for the recommendations The strength of the recommendations and the level of evidence are ranked
2010 Guidelines of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology for the management of hypertension [10]	Hypertension Committee of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology	Provide physicians with the most up to date information and guidelines for hypertension management An update is due to be published in 2014	Highest priority: primary endpoints in RCTs Second priority: secondary endpoints, subgroup analyses, and post hoc analyses of RCTs, or meta-analyses Epidemiological data: Taiwanese cohort studies	Fifteen key messages regarding the management of hypertension Treatment algorithm Tables detailing recommended health behaviour and drug interventions Information explaining the evidence supporting the recommendations
2010 Chinese guidelines for the management of hypertension [11]	A guideline committee of nearly 100 members (including hypertension experts, cardiologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, epidemiologists, gynaecologists, neurologists and gerontologists) appointed by the CHL and the CCD	Update the 1999 and 2005 guidelines Provide guidelines that are suitable for both economically advantaged and disadvantaged regions	Highest priority RCTs, meta-analyses, observational and other studies Where possible, Chinese studies were used	Tables and concise recommendations for primary healthcare unit to use in daily practise

AHA/ACC/CDC American Hypertension Association/American College of Cardiology/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ASH/ISH American Society of Hypertension/International Society of Hypertension, CCD National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease (China), CHEP Canadian hypertension education program, CHL Chinese Hypertension League, ESH/ESC European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology, JNC 7 Seventh Joint National Committee (USA), JNC 8 Eighth Joint National Committee (USA), NHLBI National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (USA), NICE National Institute for Clinical Excellence (UK), RCT randomised control trial