Knowledge and Practices of General Practitioners Regarding Differentiation of Dengue Fever From Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Objective: To determine Knowledge and Practices of General Practitioners regarding differentiation of dengue hemorrhagic fever (severe dengue) from Dengue Fever.
Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Lahore city from June 2023 to August 2023. Using convenient purposive sampling technique, 370 general practitioners (GPs) of Lahore city were selected and questioned about how they differentiated DF from DHF. Responses about clinical signs (right sided upper abdominal tenderness, increased capillary refill time, narrow pulse pressure, tachycardia), evidence of fluid leak on ultrasonography of abdomen and worsening hematological parameters on serial complete blood count CBCs (decreasing platelets <50000, leukopenia and raised hematocrit) were recorded in structured questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS 20.
Results: 308(83%) were males and 62 (16%) were females with mean experience 16.74±7.65 years. 56.4% responded that they checked right sided upper abdominal tenderness to identify DHF, 41% mentioned used of tachycardia, 23% increased capillary refill time, 27% mentioned narrow pulse, 112/370 (30%) said Ultrasound abdomen and chest to check of fluid leak and thickening of gall bladder wall, 84% mentioned serial CBCs to look for worsening thrombocytopenia, 67% used worsening leukopenia and 67% used increasing hematocrit as sign of DHF.
Conclusions: Majority of general practitioners of Lahore city lacked necassary practices regarding identification of severe dengue fever. It is recommended that health authorities must take concrete steps to ensure dissemination
of standard protocols and guidelines as well as continuous medical education and capacity building for health care workers.