Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding sepsis in pediatrics: a cross-sectional study in general practitioners and medical students from latin american universities, 2022

Abstract

Objective: To assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of general practitioners and medical students from Latin American universities regarding sepsis in pediatrics. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study involving general practitioners and medical students from 35 universities across 16 Latin American countries, conducted between May and October 2022. A self-administered questionnaire was shared online upon acceptance of informed consent from participants. Data were analyzed using Stata v.16 software. Results: Out of 307 participants, 38.4% were general practitioners, 61.6% were medical students. In general, 17.3% achieved a high score on the knowledge test (general practitioners: 26.3%, medical students: 11.6%). Regarding attitudes, 15.6% obtained a high level (general practitioners: 11.9%, medical students: 18.0%). In practices related to sepsis management, 20.2% reached a high level (general practitioners: 34.8%, medical students: 11.1%). Significant differences were found between academic training and levels of knowledge (p = 0.001) and practices (p < 0.001). Conclusion: These results suggest that there are certain deficits among general practitioners and medical students in aspects related to the identification and management of sepsis in pediatrics. It may indicate the need to improve education on this disease during medical training, especially at the undergraduate level, to ensure better clinical preparation towards this disease.