Abstract
BackgroundLow levels of asthma control worldwide point to the possibility of sub-optimal management; therefore, documentation of physicians' perception is critical for future interventions. Our aim was to examine self-reported management abilities of Turkish physicians dealing with children with asthma, document the factors affecting appropriate decisions and compare the results with those of a previous survey.MethodsPhysicians were surveyed via a questionnaire aimed to document self-perceived asthma knowledge and attitudes in asthma management.ResultsThe majority of physicians were male (63%) and examined 234 ± 9 patients per week. Infrequent use of objective parameters in asthma diagnosis and attack severity assessment was reported and most preferred nebulized corticosteroids to the systemic form in acute asthma. Even though self-perceived overall asthma knowledge did not differ between genders (p = 0.098), male physicians scored higher than females for inhaled steroids for acute asthma (2.8 ± 0.12 vs 2.17 ± 0.2, respectively, p = 0.007), while female physicians recorded more frequent use of inhaled steroids for chronic asthma (3.72 ± 0.08 vs 3.43 ± 0.07, respectively, p = 0.006). Female physicians' scoring for "symptom control" as the main aim of asthma management was higher than that of their male counterparts (3.88 ± 0.04 vs 3.65 ± 0.06, respectively, p = 0.002).ConclusionAlthough there were some discrepancies between guidelines and clinical practice, most applications of Turkish physicians dealing with children with asthma were appropriate. Interestingly, when scores of female versus male physicians were compared, it can be suggested that female physicians have a more appropriate perception of asthma, indicating a significant contribution of gender-related factors in clinical attitudes and beliefs.
Highlights
Low levels of asthma control worldwide point to the possibility of sub-optimal management; documentation of physicians' perception is critical for future interventions
BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:155 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/155 to be in agreement with the guidelines, there were certain gaps in clinical practice in terms of using objective parameters to assess severity, frequent use of nebulized corticosteroids for acute asthma and use of leukotriene modifiers as the first-line therapy [2]
Self-reported knowledge Physicians' self-perception of asthma knowledge was questioned under four subcategories, and the highest score (3.16 ± 0.05) was determined for acute asthma management and the lowest (2.89 ± 0.06) for chronic asthma management
Summary
Low levels of asthma control worldwide point to the possibility of sub-optimal management; documentation of physicians' perception is critical for future interventions. BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:155 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/155 to be in agreement with the guidelines, there were certain gaps in clinical practice in terms of using objective parameters to assess severity, frequent use of nebulized corticosteroids for acute asthma and use of leukotriene modifiers as the first-line therapy [2] These findings were further supported by the low control levels determined in a population-based study [3]. After the 2003 survey, a number of training activities were implemented by national allergy and respiratory societies focusing on the documented gaps, including meetings, courses and informational booklets and books, in an effort to increase physicians' knowledge about asthma This questionnaire-based study, the second of such surveys, aimed to examine self-reported management abilities of Turkish physicians dealing with children with asthma in 2006, and documents the factors affecting appropriate decisions. It addresses trends over time by comparing current results with those from the 2003 study
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