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(Hypertension. 1999;33:167-168.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.

Announcement

The Hypertension Primer Project

An Educational Experiment

Joseph L. Izzo, Jr, MD; Henry R. Black, MD
The Hypertension Primer, Essentials of High Blood Pressure, 2nd edition, released in November 1998, is a major professional, educational, and service effort of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research of the American Heart Association. The Primer is actually an educational experiment that addresses several problematic issues in information organization and dissemination that are likely to become even more problematic in the future. As with the first edition, which appeared in 1993, the work showcases the contributions of America's foremost experts in the field of hypertension and is intended to serve as a unique introductory reference document in the rapidly expanding field of hypertension. The second edition is a further refinement of the process made possible by the work of the Council and an unrestricted educational grant from Astra Pharmaceuticals. Perhaps the greatest difference with the second edition is that the book will be distributed more effectively through a variety of channels to medical students, residents, fellows, and clinicians and will also be sold directly through the publishers, Lippincott-Williams & Wilkins.

The Problem: the Information Gap

Webster defines a primer as a "small introductory book on a subject." With several high-quality specialty journals and many excellent textbooks available, the question logically arises: What value is there in a hypertension primer? It could be said that the reason for the Primer is that, despite the marked increase in the amount of factual data that are potentially available, the amount of readily accessible, current, expert-level perspective and interpretation is often proportionally diminished. In this explosion of . . . [Full Text of this Article]