Knowledge of asthma and its management in newly qualified doctors in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

This study assessed first-year doctors' (House Officers) knowledge of asthma at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Seventy-two out of 80 doctors answered 32 questions on various aspects of asthma. Many of these doctors managed between one to three asthmatics per week. Few, however, did so by acceptable standards. In assessing the severity of asthma, 88% looked for cyanosis, 69% looked for pulsus paradoxicus and 63% looked for a fast pulse rate. Only 63% considered the measurement of peak expiratory flow useful. Ninety-four per cent used intravenous aminophylline, 82% intravenous hydrocortisone and 74% oxygen as the drug of choice for acute severe asthma. In moderate forms of acute asthma, 54% used salbutamol inhaler or intravenous aminophylline, 28% oxygen, 15% steroid inhaler and 14% oral prednisolone. Nebulized bronchodilators are not well known for use in either severe or moderate asthma and only 19–21% of doctors had prescribed their use. In chronic asthma, 55–65% of respondents prescribed bronchodilators compared to 19–35% who gave anti-inflammatory drugs. These results reveal insufficient knowledge of the pathophysiology of asthma, the use of standard drugs in asthma therapy and international guidelines for the management of asthma. The results also show that the pragmatic constraints which exist in developing countries preclude the adoption of international guidelines without local modification.