The activities of the 8th International Scientific Conference of the Iraqi Hypertension Society concluded on Friday evening, July 25, with a large number of doctors and students from medical and pharmacy colleges in attendance. During the two-day conference, numerous topics related to hypertension and the latest global developments were discussed. Five workshops were also held on topics presented for the first time, including the role of pharmacists in controlling hypertension, as well as topics common to dentistry and hypertension patients and the challenges dentists face regarding these patients.
A special session was held via Zoom and online for doctors from the Special Advisory Council for the Middle East region, affiliated with the World Hypertension Society, where they discussed the reality of hypertension in these countries.
Discussion sessions were also held on the establishment of hypertension clinics in public hospitals, as well as Cardio-Renal- Metabolic, CKM clinics in specialized centers.
The conference final key notes and conclusions were as follows:
1. We would like to thank everyone, including the lecturers, chairpersons including Zoom lecturers and we hope to meet them in person in the future.
We also extend our thanks and gratitude for all attendees for their effective contribution to the success of the conference.
2.Despite the tremendous progress in understanding and treating HT, unfortunately the number of patients is still increasing which constitutes a heavy burden on society and medical services, especially after reducing diagnostic thresholds for HT which causes further increase in the number of patients.
3. The Iraqi Hypertension Society continuously support and emphasis the policy of prevention is better than cure, as it has a positive impact on all levels
4. We still believe that changing lifestyle and putting in place some measures and laws that reduces environmental pollution, noise reductions and encouraging weight reduction, quitting
smoking and reducing salt intake especially in fast food restaurants has a major impact on disease control.
5. We encourage Doctors to adopt any international guidelines that seems preferable for them as they are very similar with minor differences and to reduce inertia and trying to deal with the disease in a more rigorous way to reduce complications regardless of the medications and protocols used.
6. Given the growing evidence of the importance and success of pharmacists involvement in blood pressure control through their role as an intermediary between the doctor and the patient and their complete knowledge of the medications and their complications, the society is calling for a review of the role of clinical pharmacists by decision makers.
As well as the Pharmacists Syndicate and training those who wish to participate effectively at the level of private pharmacies.
7. To over emphasis the inclusion of children and adolescents in blood pressure measurement in hospitals and health centers as an important part of patient examination, due to the increase in the incidence of this disease among these groups.
8. There is still an urgent need to move to digital medicine and electronic health records because of their great importance in dealing with the disease and in extracting the necessary data for further analysis.
9.The need to switch to SPC and provide these medications health centers including popular clinics
10. The Society welcomes the positive aspects of AI and telemedicine and also the widespread availability of BP measuring devices for their positive impact on controlling the disease in the near future.
11. The Society will continue to welcome all ideas and opinions that support the control of HT and will submit ideas and demands to decision-makers, as it did and succeeded in the past by establishing HT clinic in hospitals as well as Cardiometabolic clinics in some centers.
