Educational needs of general practitioness about brucellosis (Khorramabad- Iran)

Brucellosis imposes considerable economical, veterinary and public health devastating effects on society. Considering the high prevalence of brucellosis in Lorestan province in Iran, this study aimed to determine the educational needs of general practitioners about brucellosis in Khorramabad- Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013, Khorramabad- Iran. 140 general practitioners recruited using census sampling method. A researcher made questionnaire of 42 questions having four domains including prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow up of brucellosis. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 with Pearson, Chi-square and Mann-withny tests. P value was considered statistically significant 0.05. The results showed that 28.6% of the general practitioners had educational needs. The highest educational need was in diagnosis domain (78.6%) and the lowest educational need was in prevention area (17.1%). Assessment scores between male and female general practitioners had no statistical significant difference, but physicians, who were working in the village centers, had higher educational needs. Educational needs of general practitioners about brucellosis are moderate. Regarding the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of this disease, it is suggested to pay more attention to this issue in continuing medical education.