Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, 138 Sheng-Li Road, Tainan City, Taiwan.
J Formos Med Assoc. 2013 Jan;112(1):18-23. doi: 10.1016/j.jfma.2012.11.004. Epub 2012 Dec 29.
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Primary physicians and nurses serve as the first-line health care providers of dengue virus infection diagnosis, notification, and treatment. Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among primary healthcare professionals (HCPs) regarding dengue diseases may pace alarm and improve the outcome of dengue control.
A cross-sectional survey using a structured quiz in 264 HCPs (response rate, 76%) was conducted in Tainan City in southern Taiwan. The quiz consisted of 10 questions regarding the control measures, notification, and clinical practices of dengue diseases. Scores of KAP and demographic characteristics of HCPs were analyzed.
One hundred thirty-four physicians and 130 nurses comprise the 264 HCP responders. Forty-three physicians (32%) and 80 nurses (61.5%) were practicing in medical centers, and they scored higher than nonmedical center peers on quizzes on notification (1.18 vs. 0.93 points, p < 0.01) but lower on control measures (3.52 vs. 3.22 points, p < 0.01). Fifty-seven physicians (42.5%) were experienced in reporting suspected dengue cases, and 13.1% of nurses had reported dengue cases. Three-fourths of HCPs failed to respond to the timing of dengue case notification, whereas nurses scored higher than physicians (0.34 vs. 0.16, p < 0.01). In addition, 57.2% of the HCPs failed to respond correctly to the timing of typical skin rashes occurring in the patients with dengue. More than half of the HCPs considered Taiwan an endemic area of dengue diseases.
This pilot study showed a lack of acquaintance with notification timing and important clinical features of dengue among HCPs in southern Taiwan. Future continued medical/nursing education should place more emphasis on these factors to improve dengue control in this demographic area.
背景/目的：初级医师和护士是登革病毒感染诊断、通知和治疗的第一线医疗保健提供者。初级保健专业人员（HCP）对登革热疾病的知识、态度和实践（KAP）可能会引起警惕并改善登革热控制的结果。
在台湾南部的台南市，对 264 名 HCP（应答率为 76%）进行了横断面调查，使用结构化测验。测验包括 10 个关于登革热疾病控制措施、通知和临床实践的问题。分析了 HCP 的 KAP 评分和人口统计学特征。
134 名医生和 130 名护士组成了 264 名 HCP 应答者。43 名医生（32%）和 80 名护士（61.5%）在医疗中心工作，他们在通知测验中的得分高于非医疗中心同行（1.18 分对 0.93 分，p<0.01），但在控制措施方面得分较低（3.52 分对 3.22 分，p<0.01）。57 名医生（42.5%）有报告疑似登革热病例的经验，而 13.1%的护士报告过登革热病例。四分之三的 HCP 未能及时回应登革热病例的报告，而护士的得分高于医生（0.34 分对 0.16 分，p<0.01）。此外，75%的 HCP 未能正确回答登革热患者典型皮疹出现的时间。超过一半的 HCP 认为台湾是登革热疾病的流行地区。
这项初步研究表明，台湾南部的 HCP 对通知时间和登革热的重要临床特征缺乏了解。未来的继续医学/护理教育应更加重视这些因素，以改善该人群的登革热控制。
