P202 KNOW YOUR NUMBERS AND GET THEM RIGHT: HOW MANY AND WHAT KIND OF PATIENTS KNOW THEIR BP TARGETS AND LEVELS IN BOGOTÁ?

Abstract

Background and objective: Patient's knowledge of their disease and goals is a key component for achieving blood pressure (BP) control in patients with hypertension. Several guidelines and public health campaigns promote patient self-monitoring of BP levels and knowing their goals. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of patients meeting both knowledge of their BP targets and able to report their BP levels, as well as exploring their characteristics compared with unaware patients. Methods we performed a cross-sectional study with adults previously diagnosed hypertension from 6 out-patient clinics from different institutions in Bogotá, Colombia. Consenting participants answered a phone call survey regarding their disease, follow-up, treatment and knowledge. Participants were classified in three groups: those knowing both BP targets (systolic <140mmHg and diastolic <80mmHg) and their BP levels, those knowing either one of them, or those not knowing neither. We report sociodemographic and clinical characteristics using descriptive statistics and tested hypothesis of inter-group difference with Chi-square or ANOVA as appropriate. Results From 5051 patients invited, 1675 answered the survey (mean age of 66.3, 74% female, and mean time after diagnosis 11.3 years). From this population, 24% (95%CI 21.9-26.1%) knew both BP targets and their own levels while 38.5% (95%CI 36.1-40.8%) knew neither. Patients who knew BP levels and target were younger, more frequently male, resided in a higher socioeconomical area, had a higher educational level, and used more antihypertensive medications (table 1). Among 707 patients who reported the BP levels, awareness of target and levels did not translate into differences in systolic or diastolic pressure. Conclusions most patients with hypertension are unaware of BP targets or know their BP levels. Those knowing BP targets and levels were in better sociodemographic conditions than those who did not. However, being aware does not necessarily implies lower BP levels. Awareness campaigns in the future should prioritize patients with more social disadvantages.