Knowledge of General Practitioners Regarding Some Fundamental Aspects of H. Pylori Infection in a Developing Country
Nasrullah Aamer, Waseem Raja Memon, Shahzad Memon, Muhammad Zarrar, Nazia Arain, Bashir Ahmed Khuhro, Abdul Aziz Sahito
3037
ABSTRACT
Objective: This study was
conducted to assess the level of knowledge of Pakistani GPs regarding various
aspects of H. pylori.
Methodology: This cross-sectional survey was carried out all over Pakistan from July
to December 2019. Close-ended questionnaires were distributed to a convenience
sample of 150 GPs and were requested to answer questions on demographics,
importance, diagnosis, treatment and complications of H. pylori. The analysis of the data was done by SPSS version 20.0.
Results: The mean age of all
GPs was 42.6±8.2 years and females were in majority 53.8%. Most of the respondents
73.1% were graduates, 56.3% worked in clinics and 43.7% in Hospitals. Regarding
the knowledge of various aspects of H.
pylori, 45.4% to 58% positive responses were obtained to different
questions. lowest score 45.4% was obtained regarding the question of whether H. pylori constitutes an important
public health problem and highest score 58% on the question regarding the
infectious nature of peptic ulcer disease. There was little correlation between
demographic and professional features of GPs and knowledge about H. pylori.
Conclusion: It was
observed that the knowledge of most Pakistani GPs is only modest about H. pylori. There is a need of increasing
awareness and educating GPs about this important pathogen.
Key Words: general practitioners, H. pylori, questionnaire, survey, knowledge