title: [Knowledge of and attitudes and adherence to the Spanish Guidelines for Asthma Management (GEMA) among Spanish health care professionals: the GEMA test Project].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Health care professionals' adherence to asthma guidelines is believed to be low. The aim of the present study was to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and adherence of Spanish health care professionals with respect to the Spanish Guidelines for Asthma Management (GEMA).
  
  
  METHODS
  A multiple choice test with 15 questions was constructed. Items assessed knowledge of and opinions and adherence to asthma guidelines in general and the GEMA in particular. Test completion was voluntary, individual, and anonymous.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1,066 physicians and nurses took the test. The sample consisted of 241 (22.6%) respiratory medicine specialists and 244 (22.9%) nurses from the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), 221 (20.7%) pediatric pulmonologists from the Spanish Society of Pediatric Pulmonology (SENP), 220 (20.6%) general practitioners from the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC), 181 (17%) general practitioners from the Spanish Society of Rural and General Medicine (SEMERGEN), and 38 (3.6%) others. Asthma guidelines were considered useful or very useful by 805 (76%), and 771 (72%) stated they were familiar with the GEMA. However, 388 (36%) admitted that they followed guidelines seldom or never. The level of adherence to the GEMA was poor for 243 (30.3%) respondents. The multivariate analysis revealed that low adherence was associated with the following characteristics: coming from the geographic center or south of Spain; being a primary care physician, unfamiliar with guidelines, or unconvinced of their utility; and not being a user of spirometry.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even though the majority of Spanish health care professionals surveyed seem to know of the GEMA, their adherence to those guidelines is very low. Educational programs that seek to improve knowledge of asthma guidelines should consider the profile of professionals with low adherence to the GEMA so as to include educational strategies that target them specifically.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, España. vplaza@santpau.es
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Plaza
authors.forename: Ignasi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bolívar
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Giner
authors.forename: María Antonia
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Llauger
authors.forename: Antolín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Viña
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Quintano
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sanchis
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torrejón
authors.forename: José Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Villa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires