The knowledge level and awareness of family physicians about developmental hip dysplasia

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the level of knowledge and awareness of family physicians about developmental dysplasia of the hip. Material and Method: The "Assessment of Knowledge level and Awareness of Family Physicians about Developmental Hip Dysplasia Questionnaire Form" was created by using the Ministry of Health Guide and international literature on developmental hip dysplasia. The created questionnaire was applied to 32 people, the incomprehensible parts were corrected and it was applied to family physicians on a voluntary basis through the Google Questionnaire application method. The first part of the questionnaire is the Participant Information Form, in which the socio-demographic and other data of the participants are obtained, and consists of 13 questions. The second part of the survey is; It consists of 17 questions, 2 of which are five-point and one is six-point Likert type. As a result, 241 evaluation forms were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: Of the 241 physicians participating in the study, 85 (35.3%) were female and 156 (64.7%) were male. 150 (62.2%) of the physicians were general practitioners, 36 (14.9%) family medicine specialists, and 55 (22.8%) Contracted Family Medicine Specialization Training (CFMST) residents. The physicians' DDH knowledge and awareness test score was 35.5±6.9. In the unit where 241 family physicians work, the number of babies who underwent DDH screening in the last 3 months was 2385. A statistically significant difference was found between the status being a family medicine specialist and SAHU assistant (p=0.004), the physician's absence of a baby patient diagnosed with DDH (p=0.007), seeing the level of knowledge of DDH as medium and sufficient (p<0.001), always and usually performing non-provocative tests for DDH screening (p=0.001), usually performing provocative tests for DDH screening (p=0.003), to receive specialist training (p=0.016), to use the Ministry of Health Guide (p=0.017), to attend congresses, courses and symposiums (p=0.028), availability of books and publications (p<0.001), knowledge and experience of specialist physicians on the subject (p<0.001) and internet, TV, social and other media (p<0.001) as information and educational resources and the knowledge level and awareness test score about DDH. Conclusion: Increasing and updating the current level of knowledge and awareness of family physicians about DDH will increase the success rates in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of DDH. Key Words: Family medicine, developmental hip dysplasia, screening, newborn