Ng K L, Huan N C, Mohammad F A, Mohd Aminudin N H, Mohammad F A, Abdul Rahaman J A
Serdang Hospital, Department of pulmonology, Selangor, Malaysia.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Faculty of resource science and technology, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Med J Malaysia. 2022 Jan;77(1):33-40.
Bronchial provocation test (BPT) is widely used internationally not only to evaluate bronchial responsiveness in conditions especially asthma, but is also utilized as a marker of control, severity and prognosis for asthma. However, the uptake of BPT in certain countries including Malaysia remains low. We aimed to explore this lack of knowledge by assessing the current level of awareness and knowledge on BPT amongst doctors in Malaysia.
A nationwide web-based questionnaire targeting doctors was sent through social media (Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram) and Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) mailing lists between 1 October 2020 - 5 February 2021.
In all 415 survey responses were analysed from doctors of various grades namely medical officers to consultants. A total of 404 (97.35%) encountered patients with asthma in their daily practice. According to specialty: 169 (40.72%) were from primary care, 121 (29.16%) internal medicine, 50 (12.05%) pulmonary medicine and 75 (18.07%) others. Only 163 (39.28%) were aware of BPT as a tool to diagnose asthma. 232 (55.90%) and 124 (29.88%) regarded BPT as an important test and felt confident to refer patients for BPT respectively. Of those participants who were not confident to refer: 35.17% were unsure of BPT indications, 33.21% were unsure of centres providing BPT, 8.17% cited logistic reasons, 6.04% were concerned of possible BPT side effects. 387 (93.25%) wanted more training in BPT. The median BPT knowledge score was 20% (1 out of 5). Awareness and knowledge were affected by specialty but not by: region of practice, gender, age and grade from logistic regression analysis.
Various national level programs and targeted local interventions are much needed to increase the awareness, knowledge and uptake of BPT in Malaysia.
支气管激发试验（BPT）在国际上被广泛应用，不仅用于评估特定疾病尤其是哮喘的支气管反应性，还被用作哮喘控制、严重程度及预后的一个指标。然而，在包括马来西亚在内的某些国家，BPT的应用率仍然很低。我们旨在通过评估马来西亚医生对BPT的当前认知水平和知识程度，来探究这种认知不足的情况。
2020年10月1日至2021年2月5日期间，通过社交媒体（脸书、WhatsApp和Telegram）以及马来西亚医学协会（MMA）邮件列表，向医生发送了一份全国性的网络调查问卷。
共分析了来自各级医生（从医务干事到顾问）的415份调查问卷回复。共有404名（97.35%）医生在日常工作中遇到过哮喘患者。按专业划分：169名（40.72%）来自基层医疗，121名（29.16%）来自内科，50名（12.05%）来自肺病科，75名（18.07%）来自其他专业。只有163名（39.28%）医生知道BPT可作为诊断哮喘的工具。232名（55.90%）和124名（29.88%）医生分别认为BPT是一项重要检查，并对转诊患者进行BPT检查有信心。在那些没有信心转诊的参与者中：35.17%不确定BPT的适应症，33.21%不确定提供BPT检查的中心，8.17%提到后勤原因，6.04%担心BPT可能产生的副作用。387名（93.25%）医生希望接受更多关于BPT的培训。BPT知识得分中位数为20%（5分中的1分）。根据逻辑回归分析，认知和知识受专业影响，但不受执业地区、性别、年龄和职级影响。
在马来西亚，迫切需要开展各种国家级项目和有针对性的地方干预措施，以提高对BPT的认知、知识水平及应用率。
