Identifying Research Gaps in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypertension: Evidence from a Guideline Update.

Background: The development of clinical practice guidelines presents a unique opportunity to identify research gaps systematically. This study aimed to uncover such gaps in the hypertension field while updating the Iranian hypertension guideline.

Materials and methods: This study was conducted as part of the systematic review component of the 2021 Iranian hypertension guideline update. An extensive search of electronic databases was performed to identify evidence relevant to PICO (Population, Interventions, Comparisons, Outcomes) questions. Any topic without evidence with high certainty of effect was considered a knowledge gap.

Results: A total of 227 studies were reviewed and appraised. Nine topics, such as non-pharmacological treatment, treatment thresholds, visit and follow-up intervals, laboratory tests, drug immunotherapy, adherence to treatment, complementary medicine, telehealth, COVID-19 were identified as research gaps.

Conclusions: The identified research gaps can be examined and prioritized by policymakers in the research field, and actions can be taken to plan for addressing them.