Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Practices of Physicians Regarding Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and the Impact of a Continuing Medical Education Program.

BACKGROUND

Significant deficiencies have been identified previously in the knowledge of physicians regarding the current diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Whether a continuing medical education (CME) program helps in overcoming these deficiencies has never been studied.

METHODS

This was a questionnaire-based study performed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of physicians regarding IPF before and after attending a CME program at a tertiary care teaching Institute in northern India. A questionnaire comprising of 18 questions on knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices regarding IPF (designed by Delphi method) was self-administered by the participants prior to (pretest) and after (posttest) attending the program. The pretest and posttest knowledge and belief scores (maximum achievable score 17) were compared.

RESULTS

Of the total 98 physicians who agreed to participate, 84 completed the pretest questionnaire. The mean (SD) total score for knowledge and beliefs questionnaire was 10.7 (3.5). The mean (SD) pretest and posttest scores of 52 subjects, who completed both the questionnaires were 10.3 (3.4) and 11.1 (2.9) respectively with a mean increase of 0.8 (p=0.048). The proportion of participants who scored >50% increased (p=0.046) from 41 (78.8%) to 48 (92.3%) between the pretest and posttest questionnaires. Only 54.8% and 47.6% of the participants responded correctly to the questions on CT features and drugs useful for IPF, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant deficiencies were noted in the knowledge of IPF among a small group of physicians attending a CME. A CME program with didactic lectures helps improving the knowledge only marginally.