Open AccessDo doctors in north-western Somalia follow the national guidelines for tuberculosis management?
Author(s) -
Bello Abdullahi Suleiman,
A I Houssein,
Fali S. Mehta,
S. G. Hinderaker
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
eastern mediterranean health journal/eastern mediterranean health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1687-1634
pISSN - 1020-3397
DOI - 10.26719/2003.9.4.789
Subject(s) - medicine , tuberculosis , family medicine , regimen , sputum , private sector , tuberculosis control , cross sectional study , private practice , pediatrics , surgery , pathology , economic growth , economics
A cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge and practices of registered practitioners in management of tuberculosis [TB] in north-western Somalia. Of 100 registered doctors, 53 were interviewed. Of these, 32 [64%] had treated TB patients during the previous year, but only 1 had notified the authorities, 33 [66%] knew the most important symptoms and 32 [64%] identified sputum smear microscopy as the most important diagnostic test. Only 4 doctors prescribed the correct regimen and only 7 advocated direct observation. Suboptimal knowledge was more common among doctors working in private practice [relative risk: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1-4.3]. Patients are being treated in the private sector, but few doctors follow national treatment guidelines. Training in diagnosis and case management is needed to improve TB control in Somalia