Introduction: Lyme disease has expanded into western North Carolina. We sought to document knowledge, attitudes, and practices among clinicians in this region. Materials and Methods: A survey was administered to clinicians in western North Carolina. Frequencies summarized Lyme-related care. Fisher’s exact test compared low-knowledge items (5 years: 3/8 38%; p = 0.014). Recognition of when testing is not recommended differed by provider type (physician: 11/20 55%, nurse practitioner: 0/6 0%; p = 0.024). Perceived education barriers included cost, time, and small patient population. Discussion: Overall, knowledge was limited, particularly for diagnostic testing. Clinicians in emerging communities should be prioritized for educational interventions.
Pretsch et al. (Sat,) studied this question.