Evaluation of physician's knowledge in Jordan about the ACC/AHA blood cholesterol guidelines

Background Elevated levels of blood lipids are considered a major modifiable risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The optimal management of dyslipidaemia remains inadequate worldwide. Accordingly, there is an increasing need to evaluate the basis that health care providers are using to control dyslipidaemia. Aim To evaluate the awareness of Jordanian physicians about the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines for dyslipidaemia management. Method A written questionnaire was distributed to 250 physicians from different areas of Jordan during 7 months period (from February 2018 until the end of August 2018). The target population is composed of the following categories: juniors, residents, fellows and consultants who were recruited from private, government and military practice settings. The validated developed questionnaire was distributed by trained medical personnel. Results A total of 207 physicians filled and handed back the questionnaire. The response rate was 82.8%. Generally, there was a difference in the level of knowledge between physicians (juniors/ residents/ consultants) while there was no difference between genders or practice settings (private or government). The current study showed that the awareness of physicians in different areas of Jordan regarding the 2013 (ACC/AHA) dyslipidaemia guidelines is suboptimal. Conclusion Results indicated low levels of knowledge of 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemia among physicians in Jordan. Hence, multiple interventions are needed to be implemented in order to increase the level of awareness among Jordanian physicians.