Al-Dahshan Ayman, Kehyayan Vahe, Al-Kubaisi Noora, Mahfoud Ziyad, Selim Nagah
Department of Preventive Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
University of Doha for Science & Technology, Doha, Qatar.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 24;20(1):e0314503. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314503. eCollection 2025.
Travel medicine (TM) focuses on preventing and managing travel-related issues. Evidence has become more important than expert opinions in the development of TM standards. This study aimed to evaluate the training and experience of TM among Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) in Qatar and their associated factors.
A cross-sectional study design was employed. A structured questionnaire was utilized to gather data from all PCPs working in publicly funded primary health centers.
The study involved 360 PCPs (response rate: 89.5%). Of these, 42.3% reported postgraduate training (15.1%) or experience (27.5%) in TM, with common training forms including workshops (67%), postgraduate programs (24%), and short courses (15%). About 81.8% expressed interest in TM training. Regarding confidence in practicing TM, 20% felt very confident, while 50% felt moderately confident. In practice, 25.8% conducted comprehensive pre-travel risk assessments, and 22.5% responded to traveler queries without formal consultations. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that PCPs who graduated from medical schools in Arab countries, conducting more than ten TM consultations per month, performing comprehensive pre-travel assessments, and those expressing high confidence were more likely to be associated with TM training or experience.
Many PCPs in Qatar lack prior training and experience in TM, raising concerns about their ability to provide adequate care to traveling patients. There is a significant need for targeted TM training for PCPs, especially since the majority express a keen interest in receiving such training.
旅行医学（TM）专注于预防和处理与旅行相关的问题。在旅行医学标准的制定中，证据已比专家意见更为重要。本研究旨在评估卡塔尔基层医疗医生（PCP）的旅行医学培训及经验及其相关因素。
采用横断面研究设计。运用结构化问卷从所有在公共资助的基层医疗中心工作的基层医疗医生收集数据。
该研究纳入了360名基层医疗医生（应答率：89.5%）。其中，42.3%报告有旅行医学的研究生培训（15.1%）或经验（27.5%），常见的培训形式包括研讨会（67%）、研究生课程（24%）和短期课程（15%）。约81.8%表示对旅行医学培训感兴趣。关于开展旅行医学实践的信心，20%感觉非常有信心，而50%感觉有一定信心。在实践中，25.8%进行了全面的旅行前风险评估，22.5%在没有正式咨询的情况下回应旅行者的询问。多变量逻辑回归分析表明，毕业于阿拉伯国家医学院校、每月进行十多次旅行医学咨询、进行全面旅行前评估以及表示高度自信的基层医疗医生更有可能与旅行医学培训或经验相关。
卡塔尔许多基层医疗医生缺乏旅行医学方面的先前培训和经验，这引发了对他们为旅行患者提供充分护理能力的担忧。对基层医疗医生进行有针对性的旅行医学培训有很大需求，特别是因为大多数人表示对接受此类培训有浓厚兴趣。
