Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs of General Practitioners from North-Eastern Italy (2021)

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a lead cause of morbidity and hospitalizations in infants. RSV vaccines are currently under development, and preventive options are limited to monoclonal antibodies (mAb). We assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices for RSV in a sample of general practitio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric reports 2022-03, Vol.14 (2), p.147-165
Main Authors: Riccò, Matteo, Ferraro, Pietro, Peruzzi, Simona, Zaniboni, Alessandro, Ranzieri, Silvia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Attitudes
Confidence intervals
COVID-19
Effectors
Epidemiology
Family physicians
immunization
Infants
Infections
Knowledge
Likert scale
Monoclonal antibodies
Morbidity
Older people
Pandemics
Pediatrics
Perception
Perceptions
physician perception
Primary care
Questionnaires
Respiratory syncytial virus
Risk perception
RSV disease
Seasons
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Vaccines
Variables
Viruses
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a lead cause of morbidity and hospitalizations in infants. RSV vaccines are currently under development, and preventive options are limited to monoclonal antibodies (mAb). We assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices for RSV in a sample of general practitioners (GPs) from north-eastern Italy (2021), focusing on the risk perception for infants (age < 8 years) and its potential effectors. We administered an internet survey to 543 GPs, with a response rate of 28.9%. Knowledge status was unsatisfactory, with substantial knowledge gaps found on the epidemiology of RSV and its prevention through mAb. The main effectors of risk perception were identified as having a background in pediatrics (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 55.398 and 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 6.796−451.604), being favorable towards RSV vaccines when available (aOR: 4.728, 95% CI: 1.999−11.187), while having previously managed an RSV case (aOR: 0.114, 95% CI: 0.024−0.552) and previously recommended hospitalization for cases (aOR: 0.240, 95% CI: 0.066−0.869) were identified as negative effectors. In summary, the significant extent of knowledge gaps and the erratic risk perception, associated with the increasing occurrence in RSV infections, collectively stress the importance of appropriate information campaigns among primary care providers.
ISSN:2036-749X
2036-7503
2036-7503
DOI:10.3390/pediatric14020021