TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Illinois medical professionals related to ticks and tick-borne disease
AU - Carson, Dawn A.
AU - Kopsco, Heather
AU - Gronemeyer, Peg
AU - Mateus-Pinilla, Nohra
AU - Smith, Genee S.
AU - Sandstrom, Emma N.
AU - Smith, Rebecca L.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank William Brown from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine for his assistance with this research. We also thank the participating medical professionals and the organizations that assisted with participant recruitment, with a special thanks to David Porter from the Illinois State Medical Society and Debbie Freeman from the Illinois Department of Public Health. This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement # U01 CK000505 , funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services. The authors declare that there were no conflicts of interest.
Funding Information:
We thank William Brown from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine for his assistance with this research. We also thank the participating medical professionals and the organizations that assisted with participant recruitment, with a special thanks to David Porter from the Illinois State Medical Society and Debbie Freeman from the Illinois Department of Public Health. This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement #U01 CK000505, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services. The authors declare that there were no conflicts of interest.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Background: The rising incidence of tick-borne disease (TBD) underscores the importance of proficiency in TBD diagnosis. Clinicians' knowledge about vector ticks and TBDs in their area may influence whether patients are questioned about potential tick exposure and the consideration of diagnostic testing for TBDs. Objective: Our objective was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Illinois clinicians towards ticks and TBDs. The study aimed to 1) identify predictors associated with knowledge, 2) identify knowledge gaps, and 3) evaluate attitudes and practices related to TBDs. Methods: A web-based knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey about Illinois ticks and TBDs was disseminated to physicians, mid-level practitioners, and nurses between August 2020 and February 2022. Poisson regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of higher scores. Results: Of 346 respondents, 80% correctly identified Lyme disease as endemic to Illinois, and 95% were familiar with diagnostic testing for Lyme. Knowledge of other TBDs present in the state was highest among physicians, yet only 26% of physicians believed Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) to be present in Illinois, and only 17% believed ehrlichiosis to be endemic. Only 32% of physicians knew the cause of Alpha-gal syndrome and fewer than 18% were aware of available diagnostic testing. Tick or TBD-related education within the past two years was the most significant predictor of higher scores, increasing overall knowledge scores by 26% (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.13–1.41) and increasing scores specific to TBDs by 42% (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.19–1.69). Conclusion: Illinois clinicians were informed about Lyme disease but lacked knowledge of other TBDs endemic to the state, including RMSF, ehrlichiosis, and Alpha-gal syndrome. The strongest predictor of knowledge was tick/TBD training in the previous two years, highlighting the importance of frequent region-specific training on ticks and TBDs.
AB - Background: The rising incidence of tick-borne disease (TBD) underscores the importance of proficiency in TBD diagnosis. Clinicians' knowledge about vector ticks and TBDs in their area may influence whether patients are questioned about potential tick exposure and the consideration of diagnostic testing for TBDs. Objective: Our objective was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Illinois clinicians towards ticks and TBDs. The study aimed to 1) identify predictors associated with knowledge, 2) identify knowledge gaps, and 3) evaluate attitudes and practices related to TBDs. Methods: A web-based knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey about Illinois ticks and TBDs was disseminated to physicians, mid-level practitioners, and nurses between August 2020 and February 2022. Poisson regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of higher scores. Results: Of 346 respondents, 80% correctly identified Lyme disease as endemic to Illinois, and 95% were familiar with diagnostic testing for Lyme. Knowledge of other TBDs present in the state was highest among physicians, yet only 26% of physicians believed Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) to be present in Illinois, and only 17% believed ehrlichiosis to be endemic. Only 32% of physicians knew the cause of Alpha-gal syndrome and fewer than 18% were aware of available diagnostic testing. Tick or TBD-related education within the past two years was the most significant predictor of higher scores, increasing overall knowledge scores by 26% (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.13–1.41) and increasing scores specific to TBDs by 42% (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.19–1.69). Conclusion: Illinois clinicians were informed about Lyme disease but lacked knowledge of other TBDs endemic to the state, including RMSF, ehrlichiosis, and Alpha-gal syndrome. The strongest predictor of knowledge was tick/TBD training in the previous two years, highlighting the importance of frequent region-specific training on ticks and TBDs.
KW - A-gal
KW - Ehrlichiosis
KW - Lyme disease
KW - Rocky mountain spotted fever
KW - Tick-borne disease
KW - Ticks
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85135402947&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.onehlt.2022.100424
DO - 10.1016/j.onehlt.2022.100424
M3 - Article
C2 - 36277108
AN - SCOPUS:85135402947
SN - 2352-7714
VL - 15
JO - One Health
JF - One Health
M1 - 100424
ER -