Coccidioidomycosis: knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare providers--Arizona, 2007.
Coccidioidomycosis presumably causes ≤ 33% of community-acquired pneumonias cases, although < 15% of the patients are tested for coccidioidomycosis. We assessed healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding coccidioidomycosis diagnosis and treatment in Arizona. A survey was mailed to 7,608 eligible healthcare providers licensed by the Arizona medical, osteopathic, and nursing boards in October and December 2007. We used weights to adjust for non-response and multivariate logistic regression models to identify predictors of ≥ 70% correct regarding knowledge and treatment practices. Of 1,823 (24%) respondents, 53% were physicians, 52% were male, and the mean age was 51 years. Approximately 50% reported confidence in their ability to treat coccidioidomycosis, and 21% correctly answered all four treatment questions. Predictors of ≥ 70% correct concerning knowledge and treatment practices included always counseling patients after diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=4.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.8-7.1); specializing in infectious diseases (AOR=2.4; 95% CI: 1.0-5.7); and having received coccidioidomycosis continuing medical education (CME) in the last year (AOR=1.8; 95% CI: 1.2-2.6). These findings demonstrate that coccidioidomycosis CME improves knowledge of disease diagnosis and management, underscoring the need for a comprehensive coccidioidomycosis education campaign for healthcare providers in Arizona.
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. sychen@cdc.gov
Sanny
S
Chen
Laura M
LM
Erhart
Shoana
S
Anderson
Ken
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Komatsu
Benjamin
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Park
Tom
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Chiller
Rebecca
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Sunenshine
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001130:Arizona; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003047:Coccidioidomycosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires