There is a significant knowledge gap regarding acute flaccid paralysis and polio detection among clinical doctors compared to public health doctors in Egypt, highlighting a need for targeted training.
May support targeted training for clinical doctors in AFP surveillance; leaves open effects on actual polio detection rates.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge of polio detection and notification by front-line clinicians in Egypt. METHODS: This study examines clinicians' knowledge and awareness of polio detection and notification using a multiple-choice questionnaire (maximum score=43) in three large health care centres in central Cairo (n=52). RESULTS: The results reveal a significant variation of knowledge amongst doctors, with junior and senior house officers scoring an average of 30.6 (95% CI: 29.5-31.7), specialist registrars and consultant paediatricians 30.3 (CI 28.9-31.7), and public health doctors 35.4 (CI 32.9-36.8). Mean total scores of public health doctors were significantly higher than those of other clinicians. Senior paediatricians performed no better than newly qualified doctors. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that there is a need for more clinical teaching and training amongst junior doctors as well as senior clinicians and consultants. Appropriate knowledge of diagnosing AFP and of the correct protocol amongst clinicians is essential to maintain the high quality of the WHO programme in Egypt.
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Abdel‐Mannan et al. (2010) studied this question.
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