Knowledge, attitudes and practice of general practitioners towards complementary and alternative medicine in Doha, Qatar

A cross-sectional study of knowledge, attitudes and practice of general practitioners [GPs] towards complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] was conducted in Doha, Qatar. Out of 119 respondents, 39.1% reported poor knowledge about CAM. Self-reported knowledge was highest for counselling and psychotherapy [69.0%], diet and supplements [68.1%], acupuncture [45.2%], herbal medicine [47.3%] and massage [42.5%]. While 83.8% described their attitude to CAM as welcoming and 97.5% were interested to learn more about it, fewer [30.1%] had practised it before, referred patients [24.8%] or asked patients' about their use of CAM [34.8%]. Their own lack of knowledge and training in CAM was seen as a barrier to its use by 60.0% of the GPs

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of primary health care physicians towards evidence-based medicine in Doha, Qatar

Physicians worldwide are being encouraged ence-based medicine [EBM] to improve their clinical care. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was carried to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding EBM among 182 primary care physicians in Doha, Qatar. The current promotion of EBM was welcomed by most physicians [98.4%]. While 92.2% had access to the Internet, this was mostly at home. The major perceived barriers to practising EBM in primary care were lack of free personal time [75.3%], limited resources and facilities [62.6%], no library in the locality [61.0%] and lack of training workshops and courses [61.0%]. There was a statistically significant association between years since graduation and welcoming the EBM concept as well as with frequency of reading journals

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of food safety among food service staff at Hamad general hospital in 2006

Using a modified standard questionnaire a cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2006 to assess knowledge, attitude and practices towards food safety measures among 43 randomly selected food service staff at Hamad Medical Corporation [H MC], Qatar. Knowledge, attitude and practice of food service staff towards food safety was 91.9%, 86% and 89.7% respectively. Many [95.3%] recognized the importance of salmonella contamination but fewer [20.9%] were aware of the significance of Hepatitis A. In general the attitudes [86%] and practices [89.7%] of the staff towards clean and safe food preparation were adequate but the basic knowledge and understanding of the reasons for the necessary practices were inadequate [91 .9%]. Continuous training in health education, food safety and hygiene is required for all staff involved in hospital food services

Profile of smoking among primary healthcare doctors in Doha, Qatar 2007

Cigarette smoking is universally acknowledged to be a health hazard. Primary care physicians have several important responsibilities, being role models, information providers, and identifiers/modifiers of risk behaviors, and researchers. They are often able to influence the behavior of their own patients as well as the society as a whole in the prevention of illness and promotion of well-being. This can be accomplished by both serving as personal role models and actively promoting healthy behavior among their patients. Doctors who smoke may have a problem in achieving these two objectives, especially when trying to convince their own patients to quit smoking. The purpose of this study was to identify smoking prevalence among primary care physicians in Doha, Qatar, and to explore how the smoking behaviors of physicians, their perceived ability to influence patient smoking behavior, and their knowledge about health outcomes related to smoking can influence their interaction with patients. A cross-sectional, self-administered, anonymous survey was conducted in November through December 2007, among 12 primary healthcare centers in Doha. Analyses were based on responses from 151 physicians, representing an 83.8% response rate. The prevalence of smoking was 23.1% among primary care physicians, 15.8% of them were current smokers and 7.3% were ex-smokers. Smoking prevalence was significantly higher in men than women [12.9% vs.1.5% regular smokers]. Almost two thirds of smokers started smoking before reaching 20 years of age. Among smokers, 28.6% had previously smoked in the presence of patients and 40% of them felt ready to quit smoking within the next six months. Finally, physicians who smoke are less likely to ask their patients about their smoking behavior or believe their example is likely to influence their patients. Smoking prevalence is considerably high among physicians in the 12 primary healthcare centers in Doha, and a large percentage of physician smoke in the presence of their patients. Physicians' smoking behavior and attitude to smoking influences whether they counsel patients regarding smoking. These results indicate a need to educate physicians in Qatar about their potential for influencing patients to not start or quit smoking. There is a need for health education campaign not only for the general population but also for healthcare workers

Awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of the general public towards hepatitis C in Port Said City, Egypt [2005]

Hepatitis C is a major and increasing health problem in Egypt. To assess the awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of the general public towards Hepatitis C a KAP cross-sectional study was conducted in Port Said between May and November2005 on 395 randomly selected individuals over 18 years of age. A structured questionnaire collected data for the assessment of personal characteristics, general knowledge about Hepatitis C, awareness about Hepatitis C transmission and ways of its prevention, and the society's attitudes towards Hepatitis C. Approximately 95% of the study population had heard about Hepatitis C but only half were certain that it was a public health problem. Many had incorrect perceptions about transmission, prevention and vaccination. There is an obvious need for public education in which government and health educators can play an important and effective role