PS-C10-10: AWARENESS AND RECOMMENDATION OF HOME BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT AMONG PHYSICIAN IN INDIA - RESULTS FROM ASIA HBPM SURVEY 2020

Abstract

Background: In Asia Pacific region, 66% of deaths are caused from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) which are attributed to hypertension, and in India alone, ischemic heart disease and stroke are the top causes of death. Awareness of hypertension and blood pressure (BP) control rate are still low in India; therefore, physicians and patients hypertension education are important for increasing awareness and improving hypertension management. Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is recognized as a valuable tool to diagnose and support hypertension treatment including prevention of CVD and target organ damage. We explored the prevailing knowledge and current recommendation of HBPM in daily practice by physicians in India. Methods: As part of Asia HBPM Survey-2020, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among health care professionals from India between December 2020 to June 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 37 questions, including sub-questions, related to HBPM awareness and recommendations to patients. All analyses were performed using the proper statistical software and results were presented as descriptive data. Results: A total of 832 physicians participated in the survey. Almost 83% were male, whereas age, specialty and workplace were well distributed. Among physicians who recommend HBPM in the morning, more than 60% of respondents are giving instruction to their patients in alignment with local Indian hypertension guidelines regarding the body position and time of rest before measurement. Nevertheless, only 31% of physicians instruct their patients to measure their BP before taking anti-hypertensive drugs, while around 30% of physicians gave no instructions. A noticeable percentage of the physicians gave no instructions related to home BP measurement to their patients. Reference value of hypertension diagnosis amongst the physicians was substantially low based on clinic BP (34%) and home BP (15%). Among physicians who manage hypertensive patients, nearly 88% recommend HBPM to their patients, however, only 29% of their patients own HBPM device and 35% of the patients measure their own BP at home. Conclusions: The survey reveals that awareness of HBPM amongst physicians in India is low and instruction to their patients are either lacking or not well aligned with the local hypertension guidelines which may have led to the low HBPM rate among patients. Considering the challenges and limitations physicians face in daily practice, clear and practical educational material and sessions are needed to improve the understanding of HBPM amongst physicians.