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Q J Med 2004; 97: 331-336
QJM vol. 97 no. 6 © Association of Physicians 2004; all rights reserved.

Knowledge of chronic hepatitis C among East London primary care physicians following the Department of Health's educational campaign

R.F.C. d'Souza, M.J. Glynn, E. Alstead, C. Osonayo1 and G.R. Foster

From the Hepatobiliary Group, and 1Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK

Received 6 January 2004 and in revised form 27 February 2004

Background: In August 2002, the Department of Health (DH) wrote to all general practitioners (GPs) in England about hepatitis C, enclosing an educational booklet.

Aim: To assess hepatitis C knowledge among East London GPs in June 2003.

Design: Postal questionnaire and face-to-face interviews.

Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to 250 (South-East) and 600 (North-East) London GPs, with reminders where needed. We randomly selected 10 GPs for face-to-face standardized interviews.

Results: Overall questionnaire response was 56% (South-East) and 57% (North-East), with little difference between the groups. Some 86% knew that hepatitis C was common in people who inject drugs, and that its prevalence was higher than HIV. However, 14% believed that antibodies to the virus indicated that the patient no longer had active disease. Some 49% thought that materno-fetal transmission was common, and 50% believed that blood transfusion in the 1990s carried a high risk of infection. Only 23% knew that 20% of patients develop cirrhosis after 20 years, and only 58% were aware that therapy was effective in > 50% of cases. Responses among the interviewed GPs were similar.

Discussion: Knowledge of hepatitis C among GPs remains poor. Every GP surveyed wished to be better informed. We hope the DH will produce and audit further educational campaigns.

Address correspondence to Professor G.R. Foster, Hepatobiliary Group, Department of Gastroenterology, DDRC, Turner Street, London E1 2AD. e-mail: g.r.foster{at}qmul.ac.uk


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