Measuring the knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-measurement of blood pressure among cardiovascular patients in Pakistan

Abstract

<b>Introduction: </b>Self-measurement of blood pressure (SMBP) is a recent technique, already studied and validated, but it is still underused in the management of hypertension. The objective of the study was to evaluate the practice of SMBP in patients in management of hypertensive patients in Pakistan.<br /> <b>Materials and methods:</b> We conducted a descriptive prospective study during six months at the Institute of Cardiology of Pakistan Islamabad. Our study included patients aged at least 18 years old who were diagnosed with hypertension for at least six months and followed up in outpatient clinics. The analysis and processing of data were performed by SPSS software version 22.<br /> <b>Results:</b> Our study population was consisted of 300 patients with a male predominance (sex ratio of 1.46). The mean age of the patients was 41-60 years of age group. Our study showed that 39.6% of patients said they knew about blood pressure self-measurement before the therapeutic education; however, only 23.4% had already performed it. Medical staff talked to the patient about self-monitoring in 60% and encouraged the patient to perform SMBP.<br /> <b>Conclusions:</b> The practice of SMBP was low. However, when properly practiced, it reduced the occurrence of cardiovascular complications. The practice medical staff talked to the patient about self-monitoring have positive effects on patients’ SMBP.