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An Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Physicians in the Management of Hyperuricemia in India: A Questionnaire-Based Study.

BACKGROUND
Hyperuricemia is found to be associated with the development and progression of gout, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases and several others. However, consistent recommendation in the management of hyperuricemia among physicians in India is absent. This study was done to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) and barriers in the management of hyperuricemia among physicians in India.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study using a telephonically-administered questionnaire was distributed to 350 physicians treating hyperuricemia patients with co-morbidities like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome etc. The questionnaire included 25 questions on qualitative and quantitative aspects. Descriptive statistics were used for demographic characteristics. Inferential statistics (binary logistic regression) was used to identify the relationship between knowledge scores across different physician factors.


RESULTS
A total of 350 responses were obtained with a response rate of 100%. Majority of the physicians (90%) were male and 10% were female with median age of 45.5 ± 12.2 years. Mean scores for knowledge and attitude were 7.4 ± 2.35 and 12.1 ± 1.6, respectively. 66.1% (230) of physicians had adequate knowledge score, while the remaining 33.9% (118) had inadequate score. Irrespective of comorbidity status, no change in the attitude of physicians towards management of hyperuricemia was found.


CONCLUSION
This study demonstrated that the majority of physicians demonstrated adequate level of knowledge, positive/favourable attitude and reported optimal treatment practices for the management of hyperuricemia while exhibiting a few perceived barriers. Nevertheless, facilitating widespread physician awareness about the benefits of optimal management of hyperuricemia is warranted.