Open AccessPhysicians’ assessment of the high blood pressure risk and their attitude towards the prevention of arterial hypertension
Author(s) -
Aleksandr Egorovich Manoylov
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
kardiovaskulârnaâ terapiâ i profilaktika
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.158
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 2619-0125
pISSN - 1728-8800
DOI - 10.15829/1728-8800-2012-6-63-67
Subject(s) - medicine , blood pressure , positive attitude , disease , disease prevention , risk factor , family medicine , physical therapy , environmental health , social psychology , psychology
Aim. To study the physicians’ knowledge of the high blood pressure (BP) risk and to assess their attitude towards the prevention of arterial hypertension (AH). Material and methods. In total, 118 internal disease specialists from three Russian regions participated in an anonymous questionnaire survey on the knowledge of high BP risk and the attitude towards the prevention of AH and its complications. The mean age of participants (13 men and 105 women) was 46,53±11,64 years. The respondents’ answers were compared to the information in the current clinical AH guidelines. Results. More than one-half of the respondents demonstrated inadequate professional knowledge on prediction and prevention of AH complications. These physicians use the “traditional” disease model and do not consider elevated BP as a risk factor; predict the risk of AH complications using subjective complaints of their patients; do not realise the importance of the target organ damage (TOD) prevention; and limit their preventive strategy only to the prevention of hypertensive crises. Conclusion. The demonstrated attitude towards AH management could be a serious barrier for effective AH prevention. This group of physicians needs extensive education and training, in order to modify their attitude and to increase their commitment to preventive strategies.