Hepatitis C awareness among therapists and general practitioners. Survey results

Abstract

Aim. In order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis C in the framework of this study was the awareness among general practitioner (GPs) and physicians in various districts of Chelyabinsk Oblast was assessed. Materials and methods. A continuous study of hepatitis C virus (HCV) awareness among therapists and GPs was conducted within the framework of the regional research-to-practice conference Multidisciplinary Issues of Family Medicine on May 19, 2018. 78 questionnaires have been distributed. Thus, 78 therapists from different districts of Chelyabinsk Oblast took part in the study. For these purposes, a questionnaire of 12 questions developed by Olga I. Sagalova was used. The study involved 78 therapists from different districts of Chelyabinsk Oblast. 20.52% (n=16) of respondents were from the healthcare institutions (HCI) of urban districts of Chelyabinsk Oblast, 39.74% (n=31) were from the HCIs of municipal districts of Chelyabinsk Oblast, and 39.74% (n=31) from the HCIs of the city of Chelyabinsk. Results. The survey revealed certain gaps in therapists’ awareness of the natural course of the disease, diagnosis, routing, the natural course of HCV infection, as well as its extrahepatic manifestations. The survey results indicate a lack of understanding among physicians and therapists of tactics for managing patients with HCV infection and emphasize the need to improve interdisciplinary interaction between infectious disease specialists, primary care doctors and doctors of other specialties including the development and implementation of an educational strategy for non-infectious disease doctors. Conclusion. The results indicate the needs to increase the level of education among doctors in the diagnosis and management of patients with HCV in accordance with guidelines and to include screening for HCV infection in the guidelines for selected chronic noncommunicable diseases as part of the initial examination.