Family physicians’ awareness and general knowledge of hidradenitis suppurativa: A survey research

Abstract

Rationale, aims, and objective: Medical consultations of family physicians play a key role in early diagnosis and proper management of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). This study aimed to investigate family physicians' disease awareness, general attitudes, and knowledge of HS. Material-Methods:This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 211 family physicians and residents through a web-based survey. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions about the demographic characteristics of the participants as well as their awareness and general knowledge of HS.Results: While 90% of physicians know that the diagnosis of HS is made clinically without any need for a laboratory examination, only 23.7% of them felt confident performing such a diagnosis. About 63% of participants defined HS as an infectious disease of the apocrine glands, contradictive to the real pathophysiology. About 21% of them had not been medically trained in HS, and 3% of them even had never heard the name of HS. Only 33% were aware of the role of biological agents. Most of the family physicians (57.4%) were willing to participate in postgraduate education programmes about HS. Conclusion:The family physicians' awareness of HS is limited. Increased practice in medical education and postgraduate education programmes may help increase the knowledge of family physicians. What's known• The majority of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) patients are either misdiagnosed or remain undiagnosed for nearly 10 years and this causes a significant burden on healthcare systems.• Because family physicians are often the first visited by HS patients, the former has a crucial

Diagnostic delay in hidradenitis suppurativa: A systematic review and novel data from a Greek cohort

“…7 Only 23.7% of Turkish family doctors felt capable of diagnosing HS, while 21% of them had not received relevant medical training and 63% believed HS to be an infectious disease of the apocrine glands. 8 As our study shows, even dermatologists have difficulty diagnosing HS. 9 Almost 50% of asked dermatologists i Mean ± standard deviation (95% confidence interval).…”

“…A total quantity of 57.4% of family doctors would happily participate in postgraduate courses on HS. 8 Increasing HS publications in non-dermatology journals is important. Only 6.7% of all articles on HS from 2000 to 2020 were published in non-dermatology journals.…”

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patient Referrals to a Canadian Community Dermatology Practice: A Retrospective Chart Review

“… 12 Among family physicians, a recent survey in Turkey demonstrated that while more than 90% were aware of HS as a diagnostic consideration, only 23.7% felt comfortable diagnosing HS in their clinical practices. 13 These studies suggest that there is a need for research on the learning needs of medical students and primary care providers in Canada with respect to diagnosing and managing HS, in order to optimize their training in this area.…”

Communicating with health providers and romantic partners: The impact of negative emotions on quality of life for individuals with hidradenitis suppurativa

“…8 Family physicians report low confidence in diagnosing and treating the disease, even though at least 80% received some form of HS education during their medical training. 1,9 Patients with a confirmed HS diagnosis are often referred to multiple healthcare providers 10 who typically focus on treating the physical characteristics of the disease, even though HS patients also have higher rates of mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, and suicide. 11 The severity of HS is traditionally classified by Hurley stages I, II, or III, depending on the progression of the disease throughout the body.…”