Level of expertise in TB diagnosis among general practitioners

Abstract

Background: Errors in TB diagnosis made by the general practitioners (GPs) lead to the development of severe, chronic, dangerous epidemiological forms of the disease among the population of the Russian Federation. Material and Methods: The training center performed a single-step online testing of 312 GPs to assess their knowledge of diagnostic criteria for TB detection. The test contained 27 questions regarding patient complaints, history, clinical manifestations and tests required for a referral to a specialized TB facility Results: A high level of knowledge (85% or more correct answers) was reported only in 31.6% of physicians who correctly evaluated patient conditions resulting in a low probability of developing severe forms of tuberculosis. Poor level of knowledge - less than 30% of correct answers - was observed in 42.3% of GPs who had some gaps in knowledge about tuberculosis and its diagnostics and did not use the evaluation algorithms for patients with presumed pulmonary TB in their practice. Poor training of GPs in TB diagnosis has an impact on the epidemiological situation in the country. This group of physicians was invited to take a thematic course in the framework of a special 20-hour training program (webinar). The training outcomes will be evaluated and reported in 6 months. Conclusions: There is a need for systematic training in modern approaches to TB diagnosis as part of the curriculum of the Medical universities and advanced training courses in phthisiology.