Introduction:

syncope is a common entity in emergency departments.

Objective:

to evaluate the knowledge about syncope and its management in the emergency department in physicians of a general hospital.

Methods:

a qualitative, evaluative research was carried out through the application of a pre-designed academic questionnaire on key aspects of syncope care in the emergency department to physicians of clinical specialties related to emergency care at the Abel Santamaría general teaching hospital, Pinar del Río province, in April 2022. Respondents were chosen randomly, voluntarily and anonymously.

Questionnaire: the questionnaire included 5 questions, single-choice multiple choice type, with 4 possible answers (a, b, c, d). The aspects evaluated were: definition, causes, initial evaluation, diagnosis, risk stratification, and syncope care.

Results:

the questionnaire was administered to 35 physicians. Less than 5 minutes were required to complete the questionnaire. According to the aspects evaluated, 40 % of the respondents did not select the correct answer related to the definition and causes of syncope; on the initial evaluation and multidisciplinary care, the correct answers reached 74 % and 71 % respectively. And in relation to diagnosis and risk stratification, misses were 80 %. The application of the KR20 coefficient classified the internal consistency of the evaluation instrument used as very good.

Conclusions:

the level of knowledge of physicians about syncope and its management in the emergency department was evaluated. There is a knowledge deficit in the aspects evaluated. The results obtained are considered reliable.

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