Abstract

BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis is one of the oldest diseases known to mankind. However, still practitioners are unaware of various facts associated with it.
OBJECTIVES
(1) To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices adopted by practitioners of both government and private sectors in diagnosis and management of TB patients. (2) To assess the views of practitioners in strengthening the RNTCP programme.
METHODOLOGY
200 allopathic practitioners from both government and private sectors providing their services in Gwalior District were interviewed using pre-designed pre-tested structured questionnaire.
RESULTS
The mean score of knowledge related to tuberculosis and RNTCP was higher among government practitioners (9.8) compared to private practitioners (6.1). All practitioners were having positive attitude towards regular up gradation of knowledge while statistically significant differences were noted on issues related to management of TB patients as per RNTCP guidelines. X-ray was the most preferred modality for diagnosis and follow up among private practitioners compared to sputum examination among government practitioners. Referral of poor and serious patients was also very low among private practitioners.
CONCLUSION
The present study hereby concludes that there is a large gap in Knowledge, Attitude and Practices on TB and RNTCP among the practitioners of both the sectors. There is an urgent need for upgrading the knowledge on various issues and regular Continuing Medical Education (CME) involving various professional bodies.

Authors

Srivastava DK, Mishra A, Mishra S, Chouksey M, Jain P, Gour N, Bansal M

Institution

Department of Community Medicine, UP Rural Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Saifai, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. dhirajk78sri@yahoo.co.in

Source

The Indian journal of tuberculosis 58:4 2011 Oct pg 168-77

MeSH

Ambulatory Care
Attitude of Health Personnel
Chi-Square Distribution
Clinical Competence
Disease Management
Education, Medical, Continuing
General Practitioners
Guideline Adherence
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Needs Assessment
Physician's Practice Patterns
Private Sector
Public Sector
Tuberculosis

Pub Type(s)

Comparative Study
Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22533166