Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Physicians in the Treatment of Hypertension in North-Central Nigeria

Umar Gati Adamu, Idogonsit Okon Ibok, Aisha Abdullahi, Isaac Olajide Ogundele, George Alaba Okuku

Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Nigeria.
Department of Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Nigeria.
Department of Nursing Services, General Hospital, Minna, Nigeria.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Nigeria.

DOI: 10.4236/wjcd.2014.45033                

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Hypertension is a global health hazard and most cases are first attended to by the physicians. Achieving a control will depend on the knowledge, attitude and practice of the physicians. We therefore determined the knowledge, attitude and practices of physicians on the detection and treatment of arterial hypertension in north-central Nigeria. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 100 of the 250 physicians attending a continuing medical education lecture series in Bida was conducted using a pre-validated self administered questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the physicians was 41.05 ± 8.71 years and 59 (73.8%) were males. Forty-one (51.2%) of them have practiced for more than 10 years. Arterial hypertension was considered an important health problem by 93.8% of the physicians, 30% of them believed that it should not be referred to a specialist. Majority of the physicians request for urinalysis (96.2%), electrocardiogram (95.0%), fasting blood glucose (88.8%), blood urea nitrogen (98.8%) and fasting lipid profile (97.5%) to either assess target organ damage or associated co-morbid conditions. Fifty-seven (71.2%) of the physicians prescribe diuretics as the initial drug. However, the knowledge of the other drugs on initiation of therapy of mild uncomplicated hypertension was poor. The sources of information on arterial hypertension by physicians were scientific programs (73.8%), drug companies (38.8%) and journals in 11.3%. Conclusion: The knowledge, attitude and practice of physicians in the detection and management of hypertension were modest. Educative programs like continuing medical education, seminars, and conferences on cardiovascular disorders are advised to be organized regularly to strengthen these and update the physicians.

Keywords

Arterial Hypertension, Physicians, Continuing Medical Education, North-Central Nigeria

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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