General practitioners' knowledge of childhood asthma in Delhi, India

To assess knowledge of childhood asthma among general practitioners (GPs) in Delhi, India.

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 157 GPs were interviewed using a validated questionnaire, including six questions of local and social relevance. A response rate of 78.5% was obtained.

Although the GPs who participated in the study had adequate knowledge of the importance of appropriate treatment, the safety of inhalers/oral steroids and the role of medicines in the prevention of frequent asthma attacks, the majority lacked knowledge of symptomatology, exercise-induced asthma and inhaled corticosteroids. GPs with >5 years of practice were more likely to have significantly less knowledge about preventive drugs, certain aspects of treatment of acute asthma and misconceptions, such as 'drinking milk increases mucus production' or 'children with asthma should not consume dairy products, chilled drinks, sour or chilled food'. On the other hand, GPs with < or =5 of practice had misconceptions such as 'children with asthma have abnormally sensitive airways' and 'asthmatic children develop dependence on inhalers'.

The gaps in knowledge about asthma and its management highlight the need to design well-structured educational strategies for health professionals.