Olowookere Samuel Anu, Fatiregun Akinola Ayoola, Gbolahan Olalere Omoyosola, Adepoju Ebenezer Gbenga
Department of Community Health, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria.
BMC Infect Dis. 2014 Jun 20;14:344. doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-14-344.
Lassa fever is highly contagious and commonly results in death. It is therefore necessary to diagnose and report any suspected case of Lassa fever to facilitate preventive strategies. This study assessed the preparedness of physicians in the diagnosis and reporting of Lassa fever.
The study design was descriptive cross-sectional. The consenting medical doctors completed a self-administered questionnaire on the diagnosis and reporting of Lassa fever. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analyses.
One hundred seventy-five physicians participated in the study. The mean age was 41.5 ± 10.9 years (range, 24-75 years). Most of the physicians were male (78.9%) and had practiced medicine ≥ 20 years (51.5%). Most of the physicians had a good knowledge regarding the diagnosis and reporting of Lassa fever; however, none of the physicians had ever diagnosed or reported a suspected case. Predictors of good knowledge include male sex, not practicing at a secondary health care level and post graduation year more than 20 years.
There is disparity in knowledge and practices of physicians regarding the diagnosis and reporting of Lassa fever. Thus, it is necessary to improve the knowledge and practices of physicians regarding the diagnosis and reporting of Lassa fever.
拉沙热具有高度传染性，通常会导致死亡。因此，有必要对任何疑似拉沙热病例进行诊断和报告，以促进预防策略的实施。本研究评估了医生在诊断和报告拉沙热方面的准备情况。
本研究设计为描述性横断面研究。同意参与的医生完成了一份关于拉沙热诊断和报告的自填式问卷。数据分析采用描述性和推断性统计方法。
175名医生参与了该研究。平均年龄为41.5±10.9岁（范围24 - 75岁）。大多数医生为男性（78.9%），且行医≥20年（51.5%）。大多数医生对拉沙热的诊断和报告有较好的了解；然而，没有医生曾诊断或报告过疑似病例。良好知识的预测因素包括男性、不在二级医疗保健机构执业以及毕业年份超过20年。
医生在拉沙热诊断和报告的知识与实践方面存在差异。因此，有必要提高医生在拉沙热诊断和报告方面的知识与实践水平。
