Awareness of physicians in Jordan about the treatment of high blood pressure according to the seventh report of the Joint National Committee (JNC VII).

Control of blood pressure remains suboptimal worldwide. High rates of undiagnosed and untreated hypertensive patients raise the need of searching for the basis of this situation among prescribing physicians. To evaluate the awareness of medical residents and practicing physicians in Jordan about the treatment of high blood pressure according to the seventh report of the Joint National Committee (JNC VII). A written questionnaire was distributed to 200 physicians from different areas of Jordan during the period from November 2005 till February 2006. Recruitment of physicians in this study was in general, military, private hospitals and in clinics. A rigorously developed questionnaire on changes seen in JNC VII, target blood pressure goals, and the treatment of high blood pressure options was administered by trained medical personnel. One hundred and forty five physicians (72.5%) consented to complete the questionnaire. The practices of recent graduates from medical school were not better than those of older graduates. As a general rule, physicians in Jordan under treat high blood pressure. Our findings highlight the need for the revision of the teaching curricula in medical schools with regard to the management of hypertension, as well as the initiation of a widespread and intensive continuing medical education for all physicians involved in the management of patients with hypertension. Particular efforts are needed to encourage the use of low-cost thiazides and the use of angiotension converting enzyme inhibitors in heart failure patients and other compelling indications.