Influence of physicians' attitudes on under-notifying infectious diseases: a longitudinal study

• Published in: Public health (London) Vol. 118; no. 7; pp. 521 - 526
• Main Authors: Figueiras, A., Lado, E., Fernández, S., Hervada, X.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2004
• Subjects: Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitudes of health personnel; Communicable diseases; Disease notification; Disease Notification - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Physicians - psychology; Physicians' practice patterns; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data; Proportional Hazards Models; Spain; Spain - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Spain; Physicians' practice patterns; Disease notification; Attitudes of health personnel; Communicable diseases; Spain
• ISSN: 0033-3506; 1476-5616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2003.12.015

Objectives. To identify practitioners' demographic and professional characteristics associated with reporting of mandatory-reporting diseases (MRDs), and to identify attitudes associated with MRD reporting. Design. Longitudinal study. Setting. Regional Health Service of Galicia (North-western Spain). Subjects. Random sample of 600 physicians. Main outcome measures. A postal questionnaire was used to measure the physicians' beliefs, knowledge and attitudes regarding MRDs. Associations between the independent variables and outcomes (notification or non-notification of MRDs every week during 1998) were modelled using the Andersen-Gill proportional hazards model. Results. The response rate was 60.1%. The following beliefs, knowledge and attitudes were statistically associated with a smaller probability of reporting any given MRD: (1) I would only notify an MRD after confirming diagnosis; (2) the MRD reporting system interferes with my daily clinical practice; (3) besides the legal requirements, I would have to report MRDs as a medical professional; and (4) only the reporting of relevant or severe MRDs is necessary. Under-reporting was not associated with specialization (general or paediatric) or the type of contract (fixed or temporary), but was associated with gender. Conclusions. Some physicians' beliefs, knowledge and attitudes regarding MRDs are associated with under-reporting. This suggests that modification of certain attitudes and knowledge in physicians could greatly reduce the under-reporting of MRDs.