Early management of meningococcal disease: Do attitudes of GPs influence practice?

Kari Jarvinen; Linda Selvey; Chris Del Mar; Michael Tilse; Robyn Pugh

Early management of meningococcal disease: Do attitudes of GPs influence practice?

Kari Jarvinen^*, Linda Selvey, Chris Del Mar, Michael Tilse, Robyn Pugh

^*Corresponding author for this work

Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Survival from early meningococcal disease might be improved if general practitioners followed guidelines by immediately administering parenteral antibiotics (before hospital referral). METHODS: Structured telephone interviews with 20 GPs who had previously treated meningococcal cases. RESULTS: General practitioners knew guideline recommendations for early management of meningococcal disease: early parenteral antibiotics would be given by about half the GPs entertaining a diagnosis of meningococcal infection. Barriers to immediate treatment were: diagnostic uncertainty, regarding the case as nonurgent, and practising close to a hospital. DISCUSSION: Diagnosing meningococcal disease is difficult in general practice. Early antibiotic administration for suspected cases is appropriate even in close proximity to referral hospitals.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	892-894
Number of pages	3
Journal	Australian Family Physician
Volume	34
Issue number	10
Publication status	Published - 2005

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http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200510/4498Licence: Unspecified

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title = "Early management of meningococcal disease: Do attitudes of GPs influence practice?",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: Survival from early meningococcal disease might be improved if general practitioners followed guidelines by immediately administering parenteral antibiotics (before hospital referral). METHODS: Structured telephone interviews with 20 GPs who had previously treated meningococcal cases. RESULTS: General practitioners knew guideline recommendations for early management of meningococcal disease: early parenteral antibiotics would be given by about half the GPs entertaining a diagnosis of meningococcal infection. Barriers to immediate treatment were: diagnostic uncertainty, regarding the case as nonurgent, and practising close to a hospital. DISCUSSION: Diagnosing meningococcal disease is difficult in general practice. Early antibiotic administration for suspected cases is appropriate even in close proximity to referral hospitals.",

author = "Kari Jarvinen and Linda Selvey and {Del Mar}, Chris and Michael Tilse and Robyn Pugh",

year = "2005",

language = "English",

volume = "34",

pages = "892--894",

journal = "Australian Family Physician",

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T1 - Early management of meningococcal disease

T2 - Do attitudes of GPs influence practice?

AU - Jarvinen, Kari

AU - Selvey, Linda

AU - Del Mar, Chris

AU - Tilse, Michael

AU - Pugh, Robyn

PY - 2005

Y1 - 2005

N2 - BACKGROUND: Survival from early meningococcal disease might be improved if general practitioners followed guidelines by immediately administering parenteral antibiotics (before hospital referral). METHODS: Structured telephone interviews with 20 GPs who had previously treated meningococcal cases. RESULTS: General practitioners knew guideline recommendations for early management of meningococcal disease: early parenteral antibiotics would be given by about half the GPs entertaining a diagnosis of meningococcal infection. Barriers to immediate treatment were: diagnostic uncertainty, regarding the case as nonurgent, and practising close to a hospital. DISCUSSION: Diagnosing meningococcal disease is difficult in general practice. Early antibiotic administration for suspected cases is appropriate even in close proximity to referral hospitals.

AB - BACKGROUND: Survival from early meningococcal disease might be improved if general practitioners followed guidelines by immediately administering parenteral antibiotics (before hospital referral). METHODS: Structured telephone interviews with 20 GPs who had previously treated meningococcal cases. RESULTS: General practitioners knew guideline recommendations for early management of meningococcal disease: early parenteral antibiotics would be given by about half the GPs entertaining a diagnosis of meningococcal infection. Barriers to immediate treatment were: diagnostic uncertainty, regarding the case as nonurgent, and practising close to a hospital. DISCUSSION: Diagnosing meningococcal disease is difficult in general practice. Early antibiotic administration for suspected cases is appropriate even in close proximity to referral hospitals.

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SN - 2208-7958

VL - 34

SP - 892

EP - 894

JO - Australian Family Physician

JF - Australian Family Physician

IS - 10

ER -

Early management of meningococcal disease: Do attitudes of GPs influence practice?

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