Elsevier

Public Health

Volume 120, Issue 1, January 2006, Pages 15-19
Public Health

Mini-Symposium
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS): Knowledge, attitudes, practices and sources of information among physicians answering a SARS fever hotline service

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2005.10.001Get rights and content

Summary

In June 2003, Taiwan introduced a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) telephone hotline service to provide concerned callers with rapid access to information, advice and appropriate referral where necessary. This paper reports an evaluation of the knowledge, attitude, practices and sources of information relating to SARS among physicians who staffed the SARS fever hotline service. A retrospective survey was conducted using a self-administered postal questionnaire. Participants were physicians who staffed a SARS hotline during the SARS epidemic in Taipei, Taiwan from June 1 to 10, 2003. A response rate of 83% was obtained. All respondents knew the causative agent of SARS, and knowledge regarding SARS features and preventive practices was good. However, only 54% of respondents knew the incubation period of SARS. Hospital guidelines and news media were the major information sources. In responding to two case scenarios most physicians were likely to triage callers at high risk of SARS appropriately, but not callers at low risk. Less than half of all respondents answered both scenarios correctly. The results obtained suggest that knowledge of SARS was generally good although obtained from both medical and non-medical sources. Specific knowledge was however lacking in certain areas and this affected the ability to appropriately triage callers. Standardized education and assessment of prior knowledge of SARS could improve the ability of physicians to triage callers in future outbreaks.

Keywords

Attitudes
Fever
Hotline
Information
Knowledge
Physician
Practices
Questionnaire survey
SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Cited by (0)

1

K. O'Bai Kamara, C. Roth, H. Sobel, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA. A. Macedo de Oliveira, Epidemic Intelligence Service assigned to the Nebraska Department of Health, Epidemiology Program Office; MA Marx, Epidemic Intelligence Service assigned to the New York City Department of Health, Epidemiology Program Office; SY Park, Bacterial Respiratory Diseases Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases; JT Watson, Epidemic Intelligence Service assigned to the Chicago Department of Public Health, Epidemiology Program Office; S Wang, Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention; D Wong, Epidemic Intelligence Service, National Center for HIV STD and TB Prevention; W Wong, Epidemic Intelligence Service assigned to San Francisco Department of Public Health, Epidemiology Program Office.

View Abstract