title: Questionnaire survey evaluating disease-related knowledge for 149 primary gout patients and 184 doctors in South China.
abstract: This study aims to investigate the disease-related knowledge of gout patients and doctors in south China and to identify the important targets of education for patients and doctors. A cross-section survey of 154 primary gout patients and 185 doctors who may see gout patients was conducted with a modified questionnaire with ten items of gout-related knowledge. The participants were considered to have gout-related knowledge if he or she correctly answered seven or more items. One hundred and forty-nine valid questionnaires from patients, 33 from rheumatology physicians, and 151 from non-rheumatology doctors were collected for statistical analysis. The mean correctly answered items of three groups were 6.6 ± 2.2, 9.6 ± 0.53, and 8.0 ± 1.4, with rate of being considered to have knowledge about gout 51.7, 100, and 90.1 %, respectively (P < 0.05). The correct answer rate for each particular item was over 80 % in the rheumatology physician group. Patients or non-rheumatology doctors knew the optimal serum uric acid (sUA) level (48.3 vs 55.6 %), the need to take lifelong urate-lowering drugs (29.5 vs 43.6 %), that allopurinol is a urate-lowering drug (55.7 vs 76.0 %), and how to prevent attacks induced by urate-lowering therapy (ULT) (60.4 vs 74.0 %). Logistic regression showed that higher education predicted which patients had gout-related knowledge. Both the gout patients and non-rheumatology doctors in south China had poor knowledge on ULT. Since many gout patients do not see rheumatologists, our data suggest that further education should focus on patients and non-rheumatologists and emphasize the use of urate-lowering drugs, treatment duration, the target sUA level, and prophylaxis against acute attacks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 107# Yan Jiang West Road, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
authors.forename: Qian-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Zhao-Xia
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hai-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chan-Juan
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ou-Yang
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yan-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yin-Qian
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: H Ralph
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Schumacher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000493:Allopurinol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015210:Arthritis, Gouty / Q000188:drug therapy; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006073:Gout / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006074:Gout Suppressants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D012219:Rheumatology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D006074:Gout Suppressants; D000493:Allopurinol