Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Diagnosis and Management of Gout Among Clinicians in Nepal

Completed

• Conditions: Gout

• Registration Number: NCT04519021
• Lead Sponsor: National Center for Rheumatic Diseases, Nepal

Brief Summary

A web-based descriptive survey was conducted among doctors with regular interaction with gout patients. The questionnaire comprised of 38 multiple choice questions; 9 questions for demographic data, 8, 11 and 10 questions each for knowledge, attitude and practice, respectively. Simple descriptive statistics were used to describe the correct responses.

Detailed Description

Objective To understand the knowledge, attitude and treatment practices of gout among doctors who regularly interacted with gout patients.

Methodology Study population: Physicians (including practicing medical graduates, post-graduates in internal medicine, family medicine) and orthopedic surgeons were selected randomly from the list of data from the Nepal Medical Council registry. All internists with valid email ID on the registry of the "society of internal medicine of Nepal" (SIMON) were included. Also, a list of MBBS graduates, family medicine and orthopedic practitioners working in the peripheral set-up of Nepal was obtained and a random selection with computer-generated random number table based on council registration number was made for enrollment into the survey. Estimating a response rate of 30%, a total of 1200 clinicians were selected based on their council registration number for the invitation to participate in the survey.

Survey instrument: A standardized questionnaire was designed by a 3-member committee of NRA focusing on the areas of knowledge, attitude and practice of gout with 9 questions pertaining to demographic parameters, 8 to knowledge about the disease, 11 to attitude and 10 to practice behaviors \[tables 1-4\]. The questions were designed as multiple-choice questions (MCQ) to be marked by the respondent. Few questions had the provision of selecting more than 1 options. Open- ended questions were avoided to save the time of the respondents and thus reduce the attrition rates\[10\].

Procedure: An email containing a letter of invitation for participation was sent to each of the selected participant. It mentioned why they were receiving the email, the objectives of the survey, the assurance of anonymity and confidentiality and a total answering time of less than 5 minutes for encouraging participation. A link to the Google-form was attached in the mail itself and a mention was made on the implied consent for participation in clicking the link. A reminder email was sent after 1 week to all irrespective of whether they had responded earlier.

Platform: A web-based platform was chosen with the use of Google-forms which was compatible and user friendly to both browser and mobile users and to both iOS and Android users. Multiple entries from the same email link were blocked. Web-based platform was chosen over email survey because it provides the ability to transfer survey responses directly into a database, eliminating transcription errors and preventing survey alteration by the survey respondent and most importantly maintaining confidentiality and anonymity of respondents\[11\]. The answers were collected anonymously in an excel sheet at the main server for analysis.

Statistical analysis: Simple descriptive statistics were used to describe the frequency or correct responses. Chi-square test was performed to assess the difference in knowledge, attitude, and practices between clinicians with different medical qualifications. Analysis was done using SPSS version 21 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2019-11-01
• Primary Completion: 2019-12-31
• Study Completion: 2020-01-31
• Status Verified: 2020-08
• Study First Submitted: 2020-08-16
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-08-16
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-08-16
• Study First Posted: 2020-08-19
• Last Update Posted: 2020-08-19

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 380

Inclusion Criteria

• Physicians (including practicing medical graduates, post-graduates in internal medicine, family medicine)
• orthopedic surgeons
• with valid email ID on the registry of the "society of internal medicine of Nepal" (SIMON)

Exclusion Criteria

• who did not give consent
• clinicians other than above mentioned faculty

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
evaluation of attitude	3 months	evaluation of attitude on gout among clinicians
evaluation of practice	3 months	evaluation of practice on gout among clinicians
evaluation of knowledge	3 months	evaluation of knowledge on gout among clinicians

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

National center for Rheumatic Diseases; 🇳🇵 Kathmandu, Nepal