Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Dengue among Physicians: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey

Uncovering the knowledge gap: A web-based survey of healthcare providers' understanding and management of dengue fever in East Azerbaijan, Iran

BACKGROUND

Dengue fever (DF) is increasingly recognized as one of the world's major mosquito-borne diseases and causes significant morbidity and mortality in tropical and subtropical countries. Appropriate and timely diagnosis and risk stratification for severe disease are crucial in the appropriate management of this illness. Healthcare providers (HCPs) play a key role in dengue fever diagnosis, management and prevention. The present study was conducted to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among HCPs in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey among 948 HCPs, using a structured questionnaire, was conducted in East Azerbaijan Province from May to July 2022. Data analysis was undertaken using descriptive methods, the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression. A P-value <0.05 was considered for statistical significance.

RESULTS

Out of the 948 (68.5% female) respondents, 227 were physicians and 721 were health professionals. The knowledge level of DF was found to be largely inadequate in the present study population (80.4%). The physician vs. health professional were a significant factor in differentiating attitude scores. The mean practice score regarding DF prevention and control measures among respondents was 8.40±1.97.

CONCLUSION

The findings call for urgent continuous education and training courses to increase KAP levels and increased capacity and capability for DF prevention and control. This is of outmost importance for the first point of care of DF patients.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care professionals regarding dengue fever: need for training and provision of diagnostic equipment in Togo in 2022, a cross-sectional study

Background

Health statistics on dengue are virtually non-existent, despite the fact that the virus is circulating in Togo. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of health professionals in the Kara health region.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2022 among healthcare professionals who had worked in the Kara region of northern Togo were selected using an exhaustive recruitment method. Data were collected by trained resident doctors with a face-to-face interview using a standardized, pretested questionnaire based on the WHO 2009 dengue guide. Three multivariate regression models were utilized to investigate factors associated with knowledge, attitudes and, and practices.

Results

A total of 464 respondents (37.1% female), median age 35 years, interquartile range (29-43 years) were included. Only (3.0%) of the participants had received training on dengue fever diagnosis, treatment and prevention in the last 3 years, and 10.3% had dengue rapid diagnostic tests available at their hospital. Half of the respondents (49.1%) had good knowledge of dengue fever, compared with 30.0% who had positive attitudes. Of a total of 256 professionals who had encountered a case of dengue fever in their practice, only 24 (9.4%) had appropriate practices for diagnosing and treating dengue fever. In multivariate analysis, the healthcare professionals who had taken part in ongoing training on dengue fever were more likely to have adequate dengue diagnosis and treatment practice aOR = 8.1; CI 95% = [1.7-36.0].

Conclusion

Strengthening healthcare professionals' dengue-related skills through ongoing training and the provision of dengue diagnostic tests could help improve early detection practices and management of dengue fever in Togo.

Societal knowledge, attitude, and practices towards dengue and associated factors in epidemic-hit areas: Geoinformation assisted empirical evidence

Dengue is one of Pakistan's major health concerns. In this study, we aimed to advance our understanding of the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) in Pakistan's Dengue Fever (DF) hotspots. Initially, at-risk communities were systematically identified via a well-known spatial modeling technique, named, Kernel Density Estimation, which was later targeted for a household-based cross-sectional survey of KAPs. To collect data on sociodemographic and KAPs, random sampling was utilized (n = 385, 5 % margin of error). Later, the association of different demographics (characteristics), knowledge, and attitude factors-potentially related to poor preventive practices was assessed using bivariate (individual) and multivariable (model) logistic regression analyses. Most respondents (>90 %) identified fever as a sign of DF; headache (73.8 %), joint pain (64.4 %), muscular pain (50.9 %), pain behind the eyes (41.8 %), bleeding (34.3 %), and skin rash (36.1 %) were identified relatively less. Regression results showed significant associations of poor knowledge/attitude with poor preventive practices; dengue vector (odds ratio [OR] = 3.733, 95 % confidence interval [CI ] = 2.377-5.861; P < 0.001), DF symptoms (OR = 3.088, 95 % CI = 1.949-4.894; P < 0.001), dengue transmission (OR = 1.933, 95 % CI = 1.265-2.956; P = 0.002), and attitude (OR = 3.813, 95 % CI = 1.548-9.395; P = 0.004). Moreover, education level was stronger in bivariate analysis and the strongest independent factor of poor preventive practices in multivariable analysis (illiterate: adjusted OR = 6.833, 95 % CI = 2.979-15.672; P < 0.001) and primary education (adjusted OR = 4.046, 95 % CI = 1.997-8.199; P < 0.001). This situation highlights knowledge gaps within urban communities, particularly in understanding dengue transmission and signs/symptoms. The level of education in urban communities also plays a substantial role in dengue control, as observed in this study, where poor preventive practices were more prevalent among illiterate and less educated respondents.

A review of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding mosquitoes and mosquito-borne infectious diseases in nonendemic regions

Mosquito-borne infectious diseases (MBIDs) present significant public health risks within tropical and subtropical regions. However, the rapid spread of MBIDs from these areas to temperate regions increase the risk of their emergence in nonendemic regions, i.e., regions where diseases are still sporadic and not sustained in the population. Raising awareness about preventive measures and protective behaviors is of primary importance to face the risks of vector-borne diseases. In this context, the number of studies on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) about mosquitoes and MBIDs has grown rapidly in response to the need to identify knowledge and practices in nonendemic countries to fight mosquito proliferation. Building upon the recent developments in this field, we conducted the first-ever literature review to examine KAP studies conducted in nonendemic regions. Our aim was to identify the community's knowledge and attitudes that shape practices concerning the prevention of MBIDs. We used specific keywords regarding the scope of this review and then selected studies that were performed in nonendemic regions for MBIDs, including regions located in European countries, the USA or Asia. We identified 32 KAP studies, the oldest from 2003. The findings in the reviewed studies show that survey participants generally possessed a rather good understanding of mosquito breeding sites. However, there were notable variations in knowledge and perception of MBIDs, primarily linked to the geographic location of the survey and the prevalence of infectious outbreaks related to mosquito transmission. These findings highlight the significant influence of knowledge and awareness in fostering effective mosquito control practices. Moreover, socioeconomic status, particularly educational attainment, and respondents' gender emerged as key determinants in explaining the variability of appropriate practices. The survey results thus show the crucial role of knowledge, emphasizing the need for widespread awareness and information campaigns, encompassing both appropriate practices and efficient mosquito control methods. Understanding the interaction between these factors could provide good guidelines for implementing awareness plans and ultimately motivate the population to actively fight against mosquito proliferation and MBIDs development.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare workers regarding dengue fever in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran

Background

Dengue fever is a rapidly emerging infection worldwide with a high public health burden. Adequate training of healthcare workers is essential to warrant the timely provision of health services to improve the outcome of dengue management.

Methods

This is an analytical cross-sectional study, conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) of healthcare workers regarding dengue from April 2021 to March 2022 in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Data was collected using a researcher-made structured questionnaire, prepared as Google Forms, and sent to target groups through social media and email. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 22 software using descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square) at a significant level of 5%.

Results

Most of the respondents had heard about dengue (83.8%); media (32.7%) and academic education (25%) were the main sources of information. Respondents had less knowledge associated with dengue symptoms (52%) than prevention and control (69%), transmission (72.2%) and clinical management (81%). Based on the 70% cut-off point, the majority of the participants had a good attitude (81%) and practice (73%). However, only 49.6% of the respondents showed good practice regarding dengue local transmission. A significant difference was observed between participants knowledge on clinical management with occupation; attitude with gender and occupation; and practice with gender (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The results of this study revealed gaps in some dimensions of KAP in healthcare workers, therefore, a greater focus should be placed on future training programs to raise knowledge and attitude leading to sound practice and behavior for adequate management of dengue.

Human monkeypox and preparedness of Bangladesh: A knowledge and attitude assessment study among medical doctors

OBJECTIVE

The recent increasing incidence of human monkeypox cases highlights the necessity of early detection, prompt response and preventive management to stop it in its tracks, and healthcare workers play the most crucial role here. This study aims at assessing the preparedness of Bangladeshi medical doctors by assessing their knowledge and attitude regarding monkeypox.

METHODOLOGY

This cross-sectional study was conducted among the practicing medical doctors all over Bangladesh. The data was collected from 26th May to 4th June of 2022 using a semi-structured and self-administered questionnaire which was distributed through the internet, and a total of 389 data was collected. The cut-off points for defining good knowledge and positive attitude towards human monkeypox were considered as 70% and 80% of total values, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify the factors associated with good knowledge and a positive attitude. Statistical software R version 4.2.0 was used for data analysis.

RESULT

Of all, 330 (84.83%) doctors displayed a positive attitude towards preventive practices, but only 119 (30.59%) participants had good knowledge regarding monkeypox. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, getting any information about monkeypox in the medical curriculum and learning about monkeypox within the last one month had a significant association with good knowledge. Apart from the participant's age, no other variables revealed any significant association with a positive attitude toward preventive practices. Good knowledge showed a significant association with positive attitude (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Knowledge regarding human monkeypox among medical doctors in Bangladesh was comparatively lower than the attitude towards its preventive measures. Developing and implementing practical sessions regarding the virus to enhance the knowledge and capacity of the medical doctors could be an effective strategy to get prepared for the monkeypox outbreak in Bangladesh.