WHAT ARE THE HYPERTENSION KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCIES OF AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS? A DUAL-STAKEHOLDER EVALUATION OF MEDICAL EDUCATION.

Objective: High blood pressure (BP) is the leading risk factor for preventable death globally and 1 in 3 Australian adults have hypertension. With only 32% of Australians with hypertension having their BP controlled, it is urgent to improve current hypertension management practices. A key intervention area is medical education, but Australian medical student knowledge and the perspectives of academic staff delivering the material is unknown. Design and method: Our study investigated both aspects. From February to June 2024 we distributed two online surveys, one for final-year medical students and one for academic and clinical staff affiliated with Australian medical schools. Medical students were questioned on two case studies, assessing 13 knowledge components. Staff and students scored their opinions of medical education training in hypertension using Likert scales. Medical students from 21 out of the 22 Australian medical schools participated in the survey. Results: We received 270 student responses, of which 221 were complete. The average student score was 8.1/13 (62%) knowledge components answered correctly and the highest score achieved was 12/13 by one student. A passing score of 7/13 was achieved by 4 out of 5 students. Staff from 11 Australian medical schools participated with a total of 27 responses. Positive self-perceptions of confidence and knowledge were reported by 60% of students and staff. Student knowledge scores did not have any association with their self-perception of knowledge. Conclusions: Australian final-year medical students demonstrated insufficient knowledge regarding hypertension management, despite high confidence in knowledge and education from student and staff.