Specialist physician knowledge of chronic kidney disease: a comparison of internists and family physicians in West Africa/Connaissances des specialistes des maladies renales chroniques: une comparaison des internistes et des medecins de famille en Afrique de l'Ouest

• Published in: African journal of primary health care & family medicine 2012-01, Vol.4 (1)
• Main Authors: Agaba, Emmanuel I, Agaba, Patricia A, Dankyau, Musa, Akanbi, Maxwell O, Daniyam, Comfort A, Okeke, Edith N, Tzamaloukas, Antonios H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chronic kidney failure; Comparative analysis; Educational aspects; Health aspects; Internists; Knowledge; Physicians (General practice)
• ISSN: 2071-2928
• DOI: 10.4102/phcfm.v4i1.319

Background: Postgraduate training is aimed at equipping the trainee with the necessary skills to practise as an expert. Non-nephrology specialist physicians render the bulk of pre-end-stage renal disease care for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We sought to ascertain the knowledge of CKD amongst non-nephrology specialist physicians who serve as trainers and examiners for a training, accrediting and certifying body in postgraduate medicine in West Africa. We also compared the knowledge of family physicians and non-nephrology internists. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to non-nephrology specialist physicians who serve as examiners for the West African College of Physicians. Results: Only 19 (27.5%) of the respondents were aware of the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiatives guidelines for CKD management. Twenty five (36.2%) of the respondents had adequate knowledge of CKD. There was no significant difference in the proportion of family physicians and non-nephrology internists who had adequate knowledge of CKD (27.3% vs. 40.4% respectively; p = 0.28). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were identified by all of the physicians as risk factors for CKD. Non-nephrology internists more frequently identified systemic lupus erythematosus as a risk factor for CKD, urinalysis with microscopy as a laboratory test for CKD evaluation, and bone disease as a complication of CKD than family physicians. Conclusion: There is a lack of adequate CKD knowledge amongst non-nephrology specialist physicians, since many of them are unaware of the CKD management guidelines. Educational efforts are needed to improve the knowledge of CKD amongst non-nephrology specialist physicians. Guidelines on CKD need to be widely disseminated amongst these physicians. Contexte: La formation de troisieme cycle vise a donner a l'etudiant les competences necessaires pour exercer en tant qu'expert. Les specialistes hors nephrologie realisent le gros de la prise en charge des maladies renales en phase terminale pour les patients atteints de maladie renale chronique (MRC). Nous avons cherche a determiner les connaissances sur la MRC chez les specialistes hors nephrologie qui sont formateurs et examinateurs pour une structure de formation, d'accreditation et de certification en medecine de troisieme cycle en Afrique de l'Ouest. Nous avons egalement compare les connaissances des medecins de famille et des internistes hors nephrologie. Methodes: Des questionnaires