Evaluation of Clinical Preventive Management Provided by Primary Healthcare Physicians Against Brucellosis in Saudi Arabia

TL;DR

This study evaluates how well primary healthcare physicians in Saudi Arabia manage brucellosis prevention and finds gaps in knowledge and reporting practices.

Contribution

The study introduces a semi-structured questionnaire to assess primary care physicians' knowledge and practices in brucellosis prevention in Saudi Arabia.

Findings

One-third of physicians answered all knowledge questions correctly.

Two-thirds of physicians did not comply with brucellosis case notification processes.

Most participants had over 10 years of experience but still showed limited knowledge.

Abstract

Background: Brucellosis is among the most common zoonotic bacterial infections, leading to major public health consequences in endemic areas such as Saudi Arabia. Primary healthcare is crucial in controlling brucellosis, as it serves as the frontline for disease prevention, early detection, and appropriate management. However, enhancing the contribution of primary healthcare to the entire brucellosis notification process is necessary to minimize the underreporting and inadequate data collection, which hinders the implementation of effective control measures.

Objective: The objective of the study is to assess primary care physicians' knowledge and practice of clinical preventive management in Saudi Arabia regarding brucellosis using an adapted assessment tool featuring a semi-structured questionnaire.

Subjects and methods: The current study's design is a cross-sectional study based on a questionnaire. Three hundred and seventy-three primary healthcare physicians in Saudi Arabia were chosen for self-administered online standardized questionnaires.

Results: One-third of the participants answered all the knowledge assessment questions correctly. Most participants had more than 10 years of professional experience and were 40 or older. In response to the practice assessment questions, 210 physicians stated that they had encountered at least one case of brucellosis, and two-thirds had no compliance with the notification process of their cases.

Conclusion: The limited knowledge and improper practice of primary care physicians regarding human brucellosis are possible underlying reasons for the underdiagnosis and underreporting of brucellosis patients at primary health care clinics in Saudi Arabia. Most research indicates that implementing specific educational programs to improve knowledge is necessary for primary healthcare workers. Furthermore, enhancing the community interaction between healthcare centers and the community facilitates effective control measures against brucellosis.

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