Knowledge and Practices of Physicians in Managing Pediatric Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) in a Major city in United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Abstract

Objectives: The study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of physicians who deal with pediatric CAP in reference to the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines on this regard that was published in 2011. Background: Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common disease and the leading cause of death among children worldwide. However, there seems to be large diversity among physicians when it comes to diagnosis, investigation and treatment of the condition, despite a recent clinical practice guideline that was released in August 2011 by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA guideline). Method: An anonymous 15-item survey exploring knowledge, attitude and practices related to diagnosis and management of Pediatric CAP was distributed to physicians of different levels of experience (from residents to consultants) in the departments of Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine in different governmental and private facilities in Al-Ain city.