Knowledge, attitude and practices associated with diagnosis and management of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections (SSTIs) among Pediatric Residents and Physicians in a Tertiary Hospital in United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Abstract

Objectives: The study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of physicians who deal with pediatric age group SSTIs in reference to the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines on this regard that was published in 2014.

Background: Skin and soft tissue infections rank among the most frequent infections worldwide.

It is estimated that over 11 million ambulatory healthcare visits occur each year in US for skin and soft tissue infections due to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) alone.

SSTIs are clinical entities of variable presentation, etiology and severity that involve microbial invasion of the layers of the skin and underlying soft tissues. SSTIs range from mild infections, such as pyoderma, to serious life-threatening infections, such as necrotizing fasciitis. One of the main challenges in managing SSTIs is to be able to identify those who need immediate inpatient intervention versus the more stable ones that can be manages in outpatient basis. In June of 2014, The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) released evidence based guidelines that has nicely covered all aspects related to the management of SSTIs.

Method:An anonymous 20-item survey exploring knowledge, attitude and practices associated with diagnosis and management of skin and soft tissue infection was distributed to physicians of different levels of expertise (from residents to consultants) in the departments of Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine in different governmental facilities in Al-Ain city which is one of the major cities in United Arab Emirates.