ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Background: In India, Hypertension is becoming more common and severe, and it is linked to various socio-demographic factors. Many people are ignorant of their illness’s severity and the significance of managing it due to a lack of adequate support and education. The first step in developing a preventive program for any health condition is obtaining information regarding the level of awareness. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice and socio-demographic factors among hypertensive patients in tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on the sample size of 410 hypertensive patients admitted in the Medicine Unit of AH&RC during the period from February 2021 to July 2021. Socio-demographic details were collected using data collection forms. KAP scores were determined using a standardized and validated KAP questionnaire on hypertension consisting of 22 questions. Results: In our study, most of the participants were unaware of the risk factors associated with hypertension. 55% had moderate level of knowledge and same percent of participants had moderate attitude level and 78% had adequate practice level towards hypertension. Graduates had adequate knowledge, illiterates had poor knowledge and primary, secondary educated participants had moderate knowledge. Hence there was a significant relation (P=0.001) between education level and knowledge among hypertensive patients. Conclusion: Most of the patients had poor knowledge towards normal BP levels, symptoms, risk factors and complications of hypertension. Hence, this study signifies that patients require support and guidance from the health care professionals for improving their knowledge towards hypertension.