Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Health Care Providers Regarding Prehypertension: An Exploratory Descriptive Study in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo

Background: Regardless of the development of overt hypertension, prehypertension (PHTN) is a serious health issue that puts participants at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of Health careproviders regarding prehypertension in Kisangani.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken among Health care providers in Kisangani. KAPs on prehypertension were assessed using a survey questionnaire.

Results: 76% of doctors and 80.2% of nurses had never heard of the PHTN. Only 18.3% of doctors and 11% of nurses knew the correct definition of PHTN. The majority of doctors (82.6%) and nurses (91.2%) did not know the blood pressure values considered to be prehypertensive, or the factors associated with PHTN (78% of doctors and 92% of nurses respectively). According to 46.8% of doctors and 33.8% of nurses, PHTN is a public health problem. 17.4% of doctors and 15.4% of nurses are very confident in their ability to identify PHTN in patients. 77% of doctors claim to detect PHTN by measuring blood pressure, compared with 52% of nurses. Most study respondents (33% of doctors and 62.5% of nurses) did not make any recommendations to their patients about controlling their blood pressure.

Only 16.5% of doctors and 6.6% of nurses proposed lifestyle changes to patients, while the majority of study participants did not propose any intervention for the management of PHTN.The majority of respondents to the study are interested in receiving training and participating in activities on PHTN and have not received any specific training on PHTN.

Conclusion: In low-resource nations, prehypertension is becoming a serious public health concern that has to be managed, and all healthcare providers should be made aware of this.