Trend Analysis of Knowledge and Practice of National Tuberculosis Guidelines Among Medical Students: A Two-Year Interventional Study in Shiraz, Iran

Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of death from infectious diseases. Delayed diagnosis of TB and emergence of multidrug-resistant TB are among the most important issues related to physician performance.
This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and practice of TB among medical students.
In this longitudinal, interventional study, 60 final-year medical students, who were referred to the Tuberculosis Research Center, affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, were assessed regarding the knowledge and practice of national TB guidelines before education, 1 month after education, and 2 years after education. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha, 0.62). The questionnaire consisted of 10 and 8 questions about knowledge and practice, respectively. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS.
Overall, 33 women and 27 men were recruited in this study. The mean age of the participants was 24 ± 1.5 years. The mean time from the internship period was 7.1 ± 4.4 months, and 53.3% of the participants had attended the infection ward during their clinical course. The median score of both knowledge and practice increased by about 50% after 1 month of education, while only practice showed a 25% increase after 2 years of education. No significant difference was found regarding knowledge and practice between genders. In addition, there was no significant difference among individuals who attended the infection ward and those who did not. Similarly, there was no significant difference among individuals who participated in continued medical programs after graduation and those who did not participate in such programs; also, students who visited patients with suspected TB were not significantly different from those who did not. However, a higher frequency of acceptable knowledge (≥ 50%) was reported in students who visited patients with suspected TB; also, a higher sum score of knowledge and practice was found in male students.
This study showed that the level of TB knowledge and practice was not optimal among medical students. Therefore, for achieving a higher level of knowledge and practice, a regular patient-centered educational approach is needed, especially for postgraduates.