Diagnosed hypertensive patients seeking care at a tertiary hospital in North India demonstrate high levels of knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding their condition.
BACKGROUND: Studies suggest that approximately half of patients with raised blood pressure (BP) are undetected, that half of those detected are not treated, and that half of those treated are not controlled, famously described as the "rule of halves." Importantly, the cornerstone of the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases is early detection and drug treatment (antihypertensive) of patients with high BP. Studies across populations in developed world have shown that awareness and management of high BP levels are far from optimal. The present study was planned with the aim to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) regarding hypertension in hypertensive patients visiting Tertiary Care Hospital in North-West India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Already diagnosed hypertensive patients seeking care at the tertiary care center were selected for this study. The participants were recruited using consecutive sampling technique. All participants were interviewed with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire after obtaining a written informed consent. The components of the KAP were recorded using a score sheet. RESULTS: < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The high score among the study population can be attributed to the fact that all study participants were diagnosed patients of hypertension seeking care in a tertiary care hospital.
Raina et al. (Sun,) studied this question.