TUBERCULOSIS PREVENTION PRACTICES AND PERSPECTIVES OF PHYSICIANS IN DEKALB COUNTY, GA

Knowing the reasons some physicians do not adhere to the disease preve ntion and treatment recommendations of expert committees can assist in the development of future recommendations more likely to be adopted b y physicians. The authors describe the attitudes and practices of phys icians relative to tuberculosis prevention in DeKalb County, GA. Tuber culosis is an important problem in the county, which includes part of the City of Atlanta, as well as suburban areas. Questionnaires for ano nymous reply were mailed to 1,621 physicians in the county in 1991, an d 848 (53 percent) were completed and returned. The final sample was 7 93 physicians, who were grouped into 5 specialty areas. Primary care p hysicians were the group most commonly involved in specific tuberculos is screening and prevention activities. Medical and pediatric speciali sts, surgeons, obstetricians-gynecologists, and other physicians were significantly less likely to be involved in such activities. Given tha t primary care physicians constitute a decreasing proportion of physic ians in the United States, the findings suggest the importance of ensu ring that future strategies for tuberculosis prevention take into acco unt the increasingly specialized nature of the medical practice enviro nment.