Work on the 2026 Australian Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Hypertension in adults is progressing well and remains on track for release in Quarter 3 2026.

The guideline is being developed through a national collaboration between the Heart Foundation, Stroke Foundation and Hypertension Australia, with the Heart Foundation leading the project.

This guideline supports the National Hypertension Taskforce Roadmap and our goal to improve blood pressure control from 32% to 70% by 2030.

Evidence Review Complete

The GRADE-adolopment process for all PICO questions has been completed. This process included the updated systematic reviews, the GRADING of the evidence, and the development of Evidence-to-Decision (EtD) frameworks for the draft recommendations. These EtDs are grounded in peer-reviewed literature and will be refined following discussions with the Expert Steering Group and Expert Working Groups.

Draft Guideline Underway

The Heart Foundation team has prepared a complete draft of the guideline, integrating the evidence synthesis, EtD outputs, and input arising from Expert Steering Group discussions. Expert Working Groups are now actively reviewing the draft with a focus on:

• Fact-checking content
• Adding content-specific practice points
• Ensuring the guideline is clinically relevant and of high value to practitioners

Next Steps

All draft recommendations have been discussed, with only minor refinements remaining before finalisation. The guideline will be published initially on the Heart Foundation website to ensure timely access, followed by broader dissemination and downloadable PDF versions.

Expected release: Quarter 3, 2026