PotassiumNEW2026

General practitioners' willingness and perceived barriers and facilitators to 'prescribing' potassium-enriched salt in China: an explanatory sequential mixed methods study.

Peng Shuangjie, Xin Yuze, Jiang Rui, Trieu Kathy et al. — BMJ public health

Summary

This study explored how willing doctors in China are to suggest using potassium-enriched salt, which can help lower blood pressure. It found that while most doctors are open to recommending it, they face challenges like patients not knowing about it and a lack of clear medical guidelines. Patient preferences for taste and cost also play a role in whether they adopt it.

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Key points

General practitioners are generally open to recommending potassium-enriched salt.
Barriers include low patient awareness and a lack of clear medical guidelines for its use.
Patient adoption is influenced by taste, cost, and their understanding of health benefits.
A strong doctor-patient trust relationship helps facilitate these recommendations.

What the study looked at

This research investigated general practitioners' readiness to recommend potassium-enriched salt in China, aiming to understand what encourages or discourages them from doing so. The study used a two-part approach, first surveying over 7,000 doctors across mainland China. This was followed by in-depth interviews with a smaller group of doctors and patients to gather more detailed insights. Results showed that a large majority of doctors were aware of potassium-enriched salt and willing to suggest it. However, significant hurdles included doctors' concerns about patient awareness, potential safety issues, and the absence of official clinical guidelines. Patient adoption was also influenced by factors like taste, cost, and their understanding of the health benefits.

Dietary takeaway

Incorporating potassium-enriched salt into your diet could be a way to boost your potassium intake while reducing sodium, potentially benefiting blood pressure. However, it's always wise to discuss such dietary changes with your healthcare provider, especially if you have existing health conditions. Keep in mind that this is just one study, and further research is needed to draw definitive conclusions.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Replacing regular salt with potassium-enriched salt has been identified as a promising strategy to reduce blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular diseases. However, its implementation in clinical practice remains limited. To address this implementation gap, this study aimed to examine general practitioners' (GPs) self-reported awareness, perceptions, personal use and willingness to 'prescribe' potassium-enriched salt and to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to its future implementation in routine primary care. METHODS: This explanatory sequential mixed methods study combined a cross-sectional survey of GPs across mainland China with semi-structured qualitative interviews with GPs and patients. KEY RESULTS: A total of 7134 survey responses were received, of which 7116 were included in the quantitative analysis after 18 internally inconsistent responses were excluded. The qualitative phase included 51 participants (19 GPs and 32 patients). Among the 7116 GPs included in the quantitative analysis, 82.6% reported having heard of potassium-enriched salt, 48.6% reported currently using it, 78.7% perceived it to be safe and 79.5% expressed willingness to 'prescribe' it. Among those unwilling to 'prescribe' it (n=1456), the most frequently reported reason was perceived low patient awareness (44.7%). Qualitative findings indicated that willingness was influenced by uncertainty about appropriate use, concerns about potential safety risks, the lack of clinical guidelines and perceived gaps in understanding of long-term benefits and risks. Consumer adoption was influenced by taste preferences, cost and limited awareness of potential health benefits. Strong GP-patient trust emerged as a key facilitator. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the potential role of GPs in recommending potassium-enriched salt. Future implementation will require addressing gaps in awareness and understanding, providing formal training and developing standardised guidelines to support safer and more consistent implementation in routine primary care.

View on PubMed →DOI: 10.1136/bmjph-2026-005169