Knowledge and confidence in the diagnosis and management of leprosy among Family Medicine Specialists in Malaysia

Abstract

Background: Family Medicine Specialists (FMS) play a pivotal role in the detection of leprosy in primary care. This study determines the knowledge and confidence among FMS in Malaysia. Method: Pre-intervention questionnaire was conducted followed by a 3 day educational intervention. Post-intervention questionnaire was conducted again 2 months thereafter. The questionnaire assessed knowledge and confidence in the diagnosis and management of leprosy. Results: The mean total mark for the pre-intervention knowledge questionnaires was 35.4 out of 50 and the mean confidence was 4.0 out of 10 for diagnosis and 3.3 out of 10 for management. Knowledge improved 24.0% post-intervention (p < 0.001). Knowledge on pathogenesis and clinical features improved the most with 38.5% and 32.4% respectively whereas knowledge on leprosy reactions improved the least with only 15.1%. The confidence level improved 85% to 7.4 for diagnosis and 118.2% to 7.2 for management post-intervention (p < 0.001). FMS with more experience, seeing more than 5 patients in their working life, had better confidence pre-intervention but it became insignificant post-intervention. Conclusion: Knowledge of FMS was good but their confidence was low pre-intervention. They improved significantly post-intervention. It is hoped that the improvement can allow for earlier detection of leprosy to prevent clinical and epidemiological sequelae.