Search

Objective To test feasibility by enhancing the knowledge and skills of general practitioners (GPs) in managing ear, nose, and throat (ENT) morbidity within primary care settings through a three-hour educational course. Methods A structured course focused on common ENT disorders was conducted. Case morbidity was selected based on appropriate criteria. The participants (n=34) were GPs randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. A questionnaire assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) before and after the course using proper analysis. Results The intervention group showed significant improvement in responses within five of sixteen questions (p<0.05). Participants demonstrated greater knowledge responsiveness in relation to epistaxis and CENTOR criteria, while knowledge response improvement was poor in regard to vestibular morbidity. Overall improvement in KAP scores (p<0.05), with high effect sizes, was achieved before and after the seminar. Conclusions The three-hour ENT course for GPs was found to be feasible, emphasizing the need for targeted short-duration courses within GP education supported by locally relevant information on common ENT conditions. Future research should explore the long-term impact of similar collaborative interventions in primary care., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. 7th Health Region of Greece; Ethics Committee of the University of Crete issued approval 26459/19-06-23; 59/05-05-2021. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Papadopoulos et al.)

Aim: This study aimed to assess the health profile of patient-attendees visiting primary healthcare (PHC) practice settings in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the relationships between multiple behavioral risk factors (MBRFs) and consultation-driven health information. Multiple behavioral risk factors involve a variety of unhealthy behaviors that are associated with an increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)., Subjects and Methods: The study design was based on a dataset analysis, afterward exploring the feasibility and diagnostic capacity of respiratory morbidity aspects from a study previously conducted. The study dataset contained information regarding socio-demographic characteristics, health habits, clinical information, and reported comorbidities from 183 primary care patient-attendees. A categorical regression analysis was performed, using as a numeric variable the multiple MBRFs (clustering of 0 to four factors) in order to examine relationships with the basic and clinical characteristics of the patient-attendees., Results: Based on this secondary analysis, it was found that the prevalence of MBRFs is quite common among patient-attendees visiting urban PHC facilities. The prevalence of current smoking, sleep deprivation, increased body weight, and medium/high perceived stress levels were 33.9%, 52.5%, 83.1%, and 35.0%, respectively. An increased occurrence of MBRFs might be significantly predicted by the lower age of patient-attendees (b = -0.221, p = 0.05), by the absence of gray hair at an early age (b = -0.144, p = 0.042), by the physical discomfort during activities (b = 0.191, p = 0.017), or by the lower oxygen saturation (b = -0.184, p = 0.004). Diabetes mellitus (25.1%) was the most prevalent condition, followed by bronchial asthma (18.6%) and depression (15.8%)., Conclusions: Lower age, absence of premature hair whitening, physical discomfort during activities, and lower oxygen saturation are linked with an increased occurrence of MBRFs, leading to a neglected way of living. Those factors could be used to alert researchers, policymakers, and PHC professionals to act accordingly in order to prevent or early diagnose NCDs., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Symvoulakis et al.)