title: Private practitioners' knowledge, attitude and practices about tuberculosis, Hooghly district, India.
abstract: METHODS
  Allopathic private practitioners (PPs) in Hooghly district, West Bengal, India.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess knowledge, attitudes and practices of PPs about diagnosis and management of TB patients and Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) and their involvement in the programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomly selected 260 PPs. Using a self-administered, pre-tested questionnaire, we collected information about investigations prescribed for diagnosis of TB, treatment regimens used, and health education given to TB patients. We collected information about their involvement in RNTCP and reasons for non-involvement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 29 (11%) PPs were involved in RNTCP. 176 (68%) preferred chest x-ray to sputum examination for TB diagnosis. Only 70 (27%) prescribed alternate day regimen. Majority (75%) expressed no faith in RNTCP while 89% opined that maintenance of prescribed RNTCP documents was too difficult. About two-third uninvolved PPs were willing to get involved in RNTCP. Majority (98%) of PPs recommended appreciation by government as a way for increasing their involvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge and involvement of PPs in RNTCP in Hooghly district were low. Regular training, greater interaction with programme officers and adequate incentives in different public-private partnership schemes could increase the involvement of PPs in RNTCP as well as increase their knowledge about diagnosis and management of TB patients.
authors.affiliation: Field Epidemiology Training Programme, National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Kisalay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Datta
authors.forename: Tarun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bhatnagar
authors.forename: Manoj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murhekar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D011331:Private Practice; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*