BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: PHYSICIANS’ PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGIC KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT. ASSA–III RESULTS

Abstract

Introduction. Number of bronchial asthma (BA) cases increases every year. Despite the improvement of clinical guidelines proposed by national societies and GINA (Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention) expert committee, BA is still an urgent and significant public health problem. In some basic issues of etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and pharmacotherapy, there is still a deficiency in healthcare professionals’ knowledge. Aim. To study the basic bronchial asthma knowledge of physicians from different regions. Materials and Methods. A multicenter anonymous survey was conducted among medical specialists regarding their knowledge of and preferences in the topic of bronchial asthma. This is the third stage of the ASSA (Assessment of Senior Medical Students in Bronchial Asthma) project. Statistical data were processed using the Pearson chi-square criterion (χ2) and complementary adjustments. Results and Discussion. Over the years 2019-2023, an anonymous survey of 472 physicians was conducted in ten cities and regions of Russia. In general, the level of basic specialists was found to be relatively satisfactory: An average of 65.8 % according to the study. At the same time, a deeper understanding was noted in the basic and theoretical aspects of the BA etiopathogenesis and diagnosis (the average result in the pool of questions was 84.1%), while the pool of questions regarding the disease treatment turned out to be more difficult for the respondents (their average result was 52.1%). The respondents gave the best answers to questions regarding the reference to a prolonged suffocation attack (95.6%), the levels of asthma control (93.6%), and the key methods of BA diagnosis (91.3%); the worst results were obtained for questions related to the choice of reasonable treatment tactics for mild asthma at therapy stages 1 (34.7%) and 2 (32.2%), indications for sublingual immunotherapy (12%), and indications for adding tiotropium (33.6%). Conclusion. According to the findings, it was concluded that physicians generally had a relatively satisfactory level of knowledge on the main issues related to the BA definition, etiopathogenesis, and diagnosis. However, their knowledge regarding the advanced approaches to pharmacotherapy is insufficient, and these issues require in-depth and additional studies. We also identified the specific changes in the physicians’ knowledge depending on their seniority.