Medial Interns’ knowledge about Hypertension in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: On time diagnosis and appropriate treatment of hypertension are highly important especially in preventing the complications of this disease. The present study was designed to determine the knowledge of medical interns about different aspects of hypertension in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In a cross-sectional descriptive study all interns in educational hospitals of Shiraz Medical University (n=111) were studied using a valid and reliable questionnaire in the year 2004. The questionnaire included 50 multiple choice questions about diagnosis, treatment and complications of hypertension and also the side effects of the anti-hypertensive drugs. The data was analyzed by SPSS software using mean, standard deviation, Chi2, t-test, ANOVA and Spearman. Results: The total mean score was 27.618.35 out of 50. The mean score for male and female interns were 28.307.65 and 26.299.52, respectively. In total, 23% of interns had poor, 59% had moderate and 18% had good knowledge about hypertension. Conclusion: Most interns participating in the study had poor to moderate knowledge regarding hypertension. More studies are recommended to investigate the causes of interns’ inadequate knowledge about hypertension and provide strategies to improve their knowledge.