Right to Box 8: 217 citations excluded at 2nd pass KQ level i. 81 not a study design, setting, or population of interest ii. 73 superseded by more comprehensive review or included in an SR iii. 13 not an intervention of interest iv. 10 inadequate or unclear follow-up v. 7 inadequate or unclear reporting of data vi. 5 not an outcome of interest vii. 2 not a comparison of interest viii. 26 other (e.g., not published in English, not a clinical trial or SR, published outside date range) b. Down to Box 9 Table A-2. Evidence Base for KQs Question Number Question Number of Studies and Type of Studies 1 What is the optimal method for accurately measuring blood pressure? 6 SRs 2 What is the impact of blood pressure monitoring on adherence to therapy and achievement of blood pressure goals? 3 What is the effectiveness of obesity or overweight treatment (including lifestyle modifications, medications, surgery) to prevent or treat HTN? 4 What is the effectiveness of lifestyle modification that involves exercise (including aerobic exercise, Tai Chi or Qigong) to prevent or treat HTN? What is the optimal amount of these exercises necessary to prevent or treat HTN? 5, 6 For adult outpatients being treated for HTN, what is the systolic (KQ5) or diastolic (KQ6) blood pressure goal that is associated with improved health outcomes? 7 For adult outpatients with HTN, what are the comparative effectiveness and harms of the antihypertensive drug classes thiazide-type diuretics, ACEIs, ARBs, CCBs, and beta blockers (as initial therapy, with or without add-on therapy)? 8 For adult outpatients with HTN, what is the effectiveness and comparative effectiveness and harms of initiating a combination of two or more drug classes versus initiating one drug and adding a second drug later on in selected patients? 