A STUDY ON THE ADHERENCE TO CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR ADMISSION OF DENGUE FEVER CASES BASED ON 2001 COMPENDIUM OF PHILIPPINE MEDICINE BY PHYSICIANS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE WITHIN FAIRVIEW, QUEZON CITY SEPTEMBER 2003

ABSTRACT: Dengue fever is a disease caused by an arbovirus, transmitted through bites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is an endemic disease in our country and is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations. It is of great importancee that this disease be correctly diagnosed based on the signs and symptoms and laboratory results; managed and monitored properly by physicians. The aim of this research is to evaluate physicians in private practice as to their adherence to the guidelines for consideration of dengue fever, laboratory procedures, its indications for admission and its initial treatent, management and monitoring based on the 2001 Commpendium of Philippine Medicine (CPM). The study was conducted on 47 physicians in private practice within Fairview, Quezon City. Systematic sampling was utilized as sampling design. Self-administered questionnaire was the method of data collection and the data gathered were analyzed on the basis of scoring and assigning the levels of adherence (excellent, satisfactory, poor). The relationship of the demographic factors to the physicians` views was also determined. Results showed that age is directly proportional to the level of adherence of physicians to the guidelines of CPM only in the category of management. The gender of the physician doesn`t greatly affect his/her level of adherence to the guidelines in all categories, meaning it doesn`t matter whether the physician is male or female. On the other hand, most of the respondents interviewed underwent residency training and all of which got satisfactory or excellent results. Specifically, it also showed that the presence of residency training greatly affects adherence on requesting appropriate laboratory exams. In most categories, as the physicians` duration of practice increases their level of adherence to the CPM guidelines also increases. It was also observed that the longer the duration of the physician`s practice, the more efficient they are in the management and monitoring of dengue fever cases. The study highly recommends that CPM guidelines for dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) be available in hospitals or Department of Health (DOH) for physicians to be able to get a copy for personal use. Also, seminars or conferences to be attended by physicians in private clinics should be held regularly especially in areas endemic for dengue. This can be organized by the DOH or private health organizations concerned. Lastly, it is recommended that further studies be conducted on the physicians` views regarding other factors not mentioned in this study but may be significant in cases of dengue fever.

Department of Community & Family Medicine