Compliance with the clinical guidelines for managing asthma by primary care physicians: An ambispective observational study

Knowledge and Practice of Healthcare Professionals in the Medical Care of Asthma Adult Patients in Jordan with a Particular Reference to Adherence to GINA Recommendations

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate Jordanian healthcare professionals' knowledge, skills, and experience in dealing with and treating adult asthmatic patients and assess healthcare professionals' compliance with the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guideline recommendations for asthma treatment and management in Jordan.

Patients and Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jordan between May and June 2023. This study included physicians, pharmacists, and nurses working in clinical settings and directly interacting with asthma patients in Jordan's private and governmental healthcare facilities who were eligible to participate in this research. Three primary sections of an online survey were constructed using Google Forms and included demographic data, a diagnosis and management of the illness, and a list of worldwide medical references for asthma.

Results

A total of 300 healthcare professionals, including pharmacists (103), nurses (87), Doctor of Pharmacy (28), and physicians (82), took part in this research. The survey respondents' general knowledge of the nature and symptoms of asthma is quite high, exceeding 84% and 86%, respectively. The survey also showed a high degree of awareness of asthma diagnosis. It was also revealed that around one-quarter of participants consistently reported the severity of asthma. The most frequent factor influencing the decision to take controller or maintenance medicines is symptom severity (reported from 86% of participants). The GINA guidelines were selected as the asthma information source by almost half of the participants. Finally, 47% of participants were aware of the GINA's 2019 adjustments of the recommendations.

Conclusion

This study showed that Jordanian healthcare professionals understand the nature, symptoms, and diagnoses of asthma disease. However, many of the survey participants lack adherence, awareness, and understanding of the GINA recommendations about asthma management. More research is required to assess the adherence to the evidence-based recommendations and evaluate the impact of training courses.

Physicians' Knowledge and Practices Regarding Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

Objective

This study aimed to explore the characteristics of knowledge and practice of physicians towards asthma in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

An online cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia between 28 August and 10 November 2021. Convenience sampling technique was applied in this study through social media websites. Previously developed 10-items questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge about asthma among the participating physicians. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the participants’ demographic characteristics. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with being adherent to asthma practices guidelines.

Results

Overall, participants’ knowledge was moderate. The average percentage of physicians who reported practicing asthma management based on recommended guidelines 63.7%. Younger age (30–34 years) and having a work experience of (6–10 years) were significant predictors of being adherent to asthma practices guidelines (OR: 1.96 (95% CI: 1.21–3.17) (p=0.006) and OR: 1.67 (95% CI 1.05–2.67) (p=0.031), receptively).

Conclusion

This study showed that the percentage of physicians who reported practicing asthma management based on recommended guidelines in Saudi Arabia are moderate. Future studies to investigate factors associated with improvement in knowledge about asthma and adherence to guidelines are needed.