primary immunodeficiency disorders:awareness survey of physicians in iran

Background: primary immunodeficiency disorders (pid) are a group of hereditary disorders characterized by various complications. many patients with pid are undiagnosed, underdiagnosed, or misdiagnosed due to lack of physicians’ awareness, which culminates in increased rates of morbidity and mortality. method: nine states of iran were chosen for evaluating physicians’ awareness of pid. the population study consisted of pediatricians (specialties and subspecialties), pediatric residents, and general practitioners. a valid and reliable questionnaire was prepared for awareness scoring assessment. we provided physicians with continuing medical education (cme) and evaluated the effect on physicians’ awareness of pid. results: among 794 physicians, 466 general practitioners (gp), 90 pediatric residents, 124 pediatric specialists, and 20 pediatric subspecialists were included in this study. the mean age of participants was 40.96±10.63 years. the mean period of practicing medicine was 12±9.53 years. the mean total knowledge score of participants was 51.30 with a standard deviation of 18.76. only 161 participants (20.4%) answered more than 2/3 of all questions correctly. the mean scores in the management of pids was 66.25±54.55, followed by laboratory findings as 49.57±25.07, clinical symptoms as 54.42 ± 17.85, and associated syndromes as 42.32 ± 28.57. only 207 physicians completed the cme curricula. significant improvements were observed in physician’s knowledge after the programs (p <0.0001). conclusion: this survey demonstrated that there is a lack of both the knowledge and practice of pediatricians in the field of pid in iran. implementation of strategies to raise pediatricians’ awareness and assure the earliest diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and proper care management is critical.