Awareness of Eighth Joint National Committee Guidelines in Hypertension Management among Internists in Al-Ahsaa Area

Background: Hypertension is one of the most common conditions seen in primary care and the consequences are fatal if not diagnosed early and managed appropriately. Patients want to be sure that hypertension management will decrease their disease burden, and clinicians need guidance on hypertension treatment using the best scientific evidence. Objective: The primary objective is to evaluate the awareness of the Eighth Joint National Committee Guidelines among internists in the Al-Ahsaa area. Method: This was a cross-sectional observational study that evaluated 43 internists randomly chosen in Al-Ahsaa area by using a questionnaire containing 16 questions that reflect on their awareness of the Eighth Joint National Committee Guidelines. Passing 80% of the 16 questions is described as fair awareness of the Eighth Joint National Committee Guidelines. Results: The average of right answers percentages among the 43 evaluated internists was 54.07% ± 25.6%. The averages of right answers percentages among 16 physicians, 14 specialists and 13 consultants were 75.78% ± 20%, 47.76% ± 16% and 34.13% ± 20%, respectively, which showed a significant difference (P-value < 0.00001) between them. Conclusion: The awareness of the Eighth Joint National Committee Guidelines among internists in Al-Ahsaa area is not good enough. However, physicians showed significantly better awareness of the Eighth Joint National Committee Guidelines than specialists and consultants. Increasing the awareness of internists about new guidelines for hypertension is highly recommended, through workshops that could be provided by the Ministry of Health.