Evaluation of physicians' awareness of pediatric diseases in iran
Hassan Abolhassani1, Babak Mirminachi2, Maedeh Daryabeigi2
1Research Center for Immunodeficiencies ; Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
Insights
Physician knowledge of pediatric health issues in Iran showed significant gaps. An educational pediatric program improved scores, especially for general practitioners and those early in their careers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Medical Education
Background:
- Physician awareness of pediatric health is crucial for healthcare systems.
- Little is known about Iranian physicians' knowledge of pediatric health issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess and characterize the knowledge of Iranian physicians regarding essential pediatric health problems.
- To identify areas for improvement in pediatric medical education for physicians.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire assessing pediatric knowledge was administered to 104 physicians before and after an educational pediatric program (EPP).
- Participants included pediatric specialists and general practitioners from state hospitals.
Main Results:
- Only 37.5% of physicians demonstrated adequate knowledge before the EPP, increasing to 42.3% afterward.
- General practitioners, physicians with shorter practice durations, and those recently graduated showed significant knowledge score improvements post-EPP.
- Highest knowledge scores were observed in growth and development, dermatology, urology, and asthma/allergy.
Conclusions:
- The study identified significant knowledge gaps among Iranian physicians concerning pediatric health issues.
- Educational interventions like the EPP can effectively enhance physician knowledge in specific pediatric domains.
Objective:
Physicians' awareness about pediatric health problems is very important in health system. This has not been investigated in Iran as yet. Therefore this study was conducted to characterize the knowledge of the Iranian physicians which has direct association with health status of children.
Methods:
One hundred and four physicians, mainly pediatric specialists (58.6%) working in the state hospitals (45.1%) were enrolled. They filled a valid and reliable questionnaire, containing 26 questions about basic and important pediatric issues before and after an educational pediatric program (EPP). Findings : Thirty nine (37.5%) physicians answered correctly more than 2/3 of all questions (passed the examination) before EPP, which increased to 42.3% after EEP. Subgroup analysis showed that the total scores of general practitioners (P=0.007) was significantly increased after the EPP. Moreover, physicians with shorter practicing time (P=0.006) and those with shorter time past graduation (P=0.01) had a significant improvement in their total scores after the program. The best scores of educational issues were documented in growth and development (16.0%; P=0.04), followed by dermatology (9.2%, P=0.04), urology (9.1%; P=0.04), and asthma and allergy (9.0%, P=0.04).
Conclusion:
This study revealed that there are gaps in the knowledge of professionals about the pediatric issues.
More Related Videos
06:15Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
Published on: March 6, 2019
10:57Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion
Drug Dosing: Infants and Children
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test
Factors Affecting Drug Response: Overview
