As part of ongoing initiatives for countries to strengthen universal health care, the WHO, together with ministries of health and other partners, has demonstrated the feasibility of using hypertension programmes in primary care as a pathfinder for universal health coverage. This report identifies a list of research priorities for hypertension care, intended to provide a focus for research and thereby contribute to the goal of having a billion more people with universal health coverage. The top research priority for improving hypertension care is assessment of the cost-effectiveness of combination therapy in low- and middle-income countries, especially single-pill combinations, in improving adherence, relative to monotherapy.
