Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Medical Students towards Low Blood Pressure Syndrome

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Normal blood pressure has a certain normal range and therefore it is common to see people having blood pressure towards lower range but considering it as “low blood pressure”. Among these majority of the people including medical students consider “low blood pressure” as a disease which once diagnosed, needs to be treated. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards low blood pressure. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted by recruiting medical students (MBBS) of Dow Medical College, Civil Hospital Karachi during October 2016 to February 2017. A total of 306 students from first year to final year were approached through after an informed consent and questionnaire regarding the symptoms of low blood pressure were noted. The students were divided equally into pre-clinical (1st and 2nd year students) and clinical (3rd , 4th and 5th year) groups to assess difference in between their knowledge based on their clinical exposure. Every participant underwent blood pressure measurement regardless of the symptoms. Results were compared and analyzed using SPSS software version 16.0. RESULTS: 171 (n=100 from clinical and n=71 from pre-clinical group) students out of a total of 306 participants do not consider low blood pressure a disease. They also believe that low blood pressure among healthy people neither presents with any symptoms nor requires any treatment. CONCLUSION: It is concluded by our study that most of the students enrolled in a medical college believe that low blood pressure is a normal entity for a person which doesn’t require any intervention.

Keywords

• low blood pressure
• constitutional hypotension
• medical students