Awareness of hypertension among the medical students and junior doctors--a multicenter study from Pakistan.

Objectives: To evaluate the awareness of hypertension among medical students and junior doctors in Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire consisting of eleven multiple choice questions, encompassing major aspects of hypertension such as the definition, diagnosis, treatment, complications and risk factors. This survey was conducted from June to August 2010 on final year medical students of Dow University of Health Sciences and interns and residents working at four tertiary care hospitals.

Results: Analysis of 475 participants showed that only 127 (26.74%) participants were acquainted with the basic definitions including the cut-off levels for blood pressure among the general population, in diabetics, in those with chronic kidney disease and pre-hypertension. We further inquired about the drugs to be used as first-line of treatment in uncomplicated hypertension, in those with diabetic nephropathy and drugs that worsen blood-pressure and renal dysfunction. Only 40 (8.42%) participants correctly responded to all the three questions. While 97 (20.42%) answered all the three questions incorrectly. No participant correctly answered all of the 11 questions. Only 1 participant could answer 10 questions, correctly, whereas, 14 participants answered 9 correctly and 18 did 8. Majority of the participants (442) correctly answered 7 or less questions. Mean number of correct answers given by the final year students was 5.2 +/- 1.6, by interns 4.4 +/- 1.6 and those given by residents was 5.04 +/- 2.0. Statistically significant difference was noted between the number of correct answers by medical students, interns and residents.

Conclusion: This study highlights obvious deficiencies in the knowledge of both junior and future doctors of Pakistan regarding hypertension which should be dealt seriously.