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Genital herpes: general practitioners' knowledge and opinions
N Narouz1, P S Allan, A H Wade
1Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Coventry and Warkwickshire Hospital, UK.
Sexually Transmitted Infections
|September 20, 2002
Summary
General practitioners (GPs) show gaps in genital herpes knowledge, particularly recent information. Most GPs support serotesting availability but more education is needed for this sexually transmitted infection.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- Medical Education
Background:
- Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI).
- Understanding of genital herpes, especially recent epidemiological data, is crucial for effective patient management.
- General Practitioners (GPs) play a key role in diagnosing and managing STIs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess General Practitioners' knowledge regarding genital herpes, including current information.
- To evaluate GPs' attitudes towards the availability of genital herpes serotesting.
Main Methods:
- An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to GPs in Coventry and surrounding areas.
- The questionnaire assessed knowledge of genital herpes transmission, shedding, and epidemiology.
- Participant attitudes towards serotesting for genital herpes were also surveyed.
Main Results:
- A 70% response rate was achieved from 261 GPs.
- Overall, 56% of knowledge-based questions were answered correctly.
- While many GPs knew about asymptomatic shedding (77%) and unaware source partners (73%), significant knowledge gaps existed regarding asymptomatic infection prevalence (57% unaware) and transmission during asymptomatic periods (56% unaware).
- Awareness that HSV-1 proportion is not decreasing was low (53%).
- A majority (78%) supported genital herpes serotesting availability.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights specific knowledge deficits among GPs concerning genital herpes, particularly recent epidemiological updates.
- There is a clear need for enhanced medical education on genital herpes for primary care physicians.
- While most GPs favor serotesting availability, further research is recommended before widespread implementation.
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