Survey of Physician Knowledge on Antiretroviral Medications for Hospitalized HIV Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Arshad Saarah, Rothberg Michael, Rastegar Darius A, Spooner Linda M, Skiest Daniel
Primary Institution: Baystate Medical Center-Tufts University School of Medicine
Hypothesis
General internists would have limited knowledge of antiretroviral regimens, whereas infectious disease physicians and HIV-experienced internists would have adequate knowledge of these medications.
Conclusion
Non-ID/HIV physicians had uniformly poor knowledge of common antiretroviral medication regimens.
Supporting Evidence
- Only 46% of surveyed physicians completed at least one question.
- ID/HIV specialists scored an average of 93% on the knowledge test, while non-ID/HIV physicians scored only 35%.
- Less than 25% of residents and non-ID/HIV physicians reported a comfort level of ≥ 3 for managing HIV-infected patients.
Takeaway
Doctors who treat HIV patients in hospitals often don't know enough about the medicines they should prescribe, which can lead to mistakes. Having specialists help with these prescriptions can make things better.
Methodology
An electronic survey with ten clinical scenarios and demographic questions was conducted among physicians at two community teaching hospitals.
Potential Biases
Non-responding physicians may have had similar or worse knowledge than those who participated.
Limitations
The small number of participating ID/HIV physicians may not be representative of all HIV specialists, and the survey has not been validated.
Participant Demographics
The survey included 65 residents, 81 attending physicians, and 11 ID/HIV physicians.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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