Abstract

GARCIA MILIAN, Ana Julia; ALONSO CARBONELL, Liuba; YERA ALOS, Isis  and  LOPEZ PUIG, Pedro. Therapeutical management of an acute respiratory infection after an educational intervention in Cuba, 2009. Rev Cubana Med Gen Integr [online]. 2011, vol.27, n.4, pp. 435-445. ISSN 0864-2125.

Introduction: The appropriate therapeutical management of acute respiratory infections and its decrease is very important. Objectives: To identify the changes in prescription habits of physicians on the therapeutical management of otitis, the common cold and the sinusitis, after an educational intervention. Methods: A two stages study was conducted allowing the screening of the knowledge level of those prescribing the primary health care on the therapeutical management of acute respiratory infections before and after the implementation of the Clinical Practice Guidance approaching this topic, specifically the common cold, pharyngoamygdalitis, sinusitis and otitis. Results: Of the analyzed high acute respiratory infections, the common cold is the entity with the higher percentage of right answers before and after intervention. The pharyngoamygdalitis, after the common cold, is the affection that before intervention had the higher percentages of prescriptions referring to know on therapeutical decisions and the drug selection for treatment; however, afterwards the right responses decreased in the three items. The sinusitis and otitis increased the prescription percentage with a high level of knowledge on therapeutical management of these affections. We conclude that the common cold was the entity with the higher level of knowledge on the therapeutical management before and after intervention, whereas the pharyngoamygdalitis showed more difficulties in the second moment. Conclusions: The level of knowledge increased in the case of sinusitis and the otitis after implementation of the Clinical Practice Guidance; however, the global knowledge level on treatment of acute respiratory infections, was not in correspondence with that we expected from the material and organizing efforts to implement this guidance.

Keywords : Acute respiratory infections; therapeutical management; educational intervention.