Evaluation of the knowledge level of family physician residents working in ankara province on familial mediterranean fever disease

Introduction and purpose: FMF is an autosomal recessively inherited, autoinflammatory disease characterized by fever and polyserositis attacks. Diagnosis of the disease is based on clinical criteria, family history, exclusion of other hereditary periodic fever syndromes, and response to colchicine therapy. A fatal complication such as amyloidosis can be prevented in patients who are diagnosed at an early stage and started on colchicine therapy. In this respect, family physicians providing health services in primary care are in an important position in terms of FMF. In our study, it was aimed to evaluate the knowledge levels and deficiencies of family physician residents working in Ankara province about FMF, and to raise awareness. Materials and Methods: Our study is planned as a cross-sectional study. The population of the study consists of family physician residents studying in Ankara. Research data were collected through a questionnaire created by the researcher. While creating the questionnaire forms, the questionnaire questions that are appropriate for the purpose were determined by scanning the literature by the researcher, respectively. A questionnaire form consisting of 45 questions and questioning the knowledge of the participants about FMF was created. Data was collected between 01.09.2020 and 02.11.2020. The data were analyzed in SPSS 23.0 package program, P significance value was accepted as <0.05. Results: 56.2% (n = 127) of the 226 physicians who participated in our study were female, and 43.4% (n = 98) were male. While 85.8% (n = 194) of the physicians participating in the study were full-time family physician residents, 14.2% (n = 32) were contracted family physician residents. The mean of the age of the participants was found as 29.88 ± 5.28 years. While the average duration of residency of physicians was 2.34 ± 1.20 years, the average time spent in the profession was 5.17 ± 5.02 years. The physicians' self-evaluation of their sufficiency in making the diagnosis of FMF was 5.30 ± 1.99 out of 10 and in the FMF monitoring was 5.07 ± 2.04 out of 10. The average score that all physicians got from the information-based questions was 19.41 ± 4.53 out of 32. Less than half of the participants, 45.6%, gave the correct answer to the question of how FMF was diagnosed. Those who know the FMF carrier rate in Turkey constituted 5.8% of the participants. Although those who stated that they were educated about FMF found themselves more sufficient in diagnosing and monitoring the disease compared to those who did not receive education, there was no significant difference in their level of knowledge (p=0.173). The number of correct and incorrect answers given to the statement that FMF is a disease that can be diagnosed and treated in primary care was almost equal. Conclusion: It is observed that the physicians participating in the study did not know how the diagnosis of FMF was made and did not feel sufficient in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, to a great extent. Family physicians; might create a major change for patients, if they are aware of the prevalence of FMF in Turkey, practicability of making diagnosis and initiation of treatment in primary care, and that a dramatic difference in prognosis can be made with early diagnosis and effective treatment. From these points of view, it can be said that more and more qualified education about FMF is needed in medical schools and residency training. The amount of content to raise awareness about FMF can be increased in congresses, seminars and meetings. Keywords: Familial Mediterranean Fever, Family Practice, Amyloidosis, Colchicine