EVALUATION OF THE RATE OF ADHERENCE TO THE NATIONAL PROTOCOL FOR THE TREATMENT OF BRUCELLOSIS BY PHYSICIANS OF HAMADAN PROVINCE

Brucellosis is one of the most important diseases between humans and animals that has been specially considered in terms of economics, public health, and treatment. Currently, a major problem in brucellosis is its relatively high recurrence and high rate of chronic cases, which may be caused by variety of treatment methods for these patients. This study was performed to determine the degree of compliance of the physicians with the National Protocol to treat brucellosis in different population groups in Hamadan province in 2015-2019.

This cross-sectional study investigated 5524 patients who had brucellosis between 2015 and 2019 and were followed up by the health centers of the cities of Hamadan province and their epidemiological examination form was completed. Data were analyzed by SPSS 24 software using t-test, Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test.

Out of 5524 patients, 3450 (66.8%) received treatment diet 1, 1123 (23.7%) received treatment diet 2, and 41 (0.8%) received the pediatric regimen Moreover, 115 children (31.8%) received treatment adult diet 1, 50 (13.8%) received treatment adult diet 2, and 21 paients (5.8%) received the pediatric treatment diet. In addition, 82% of adults and 37% of children received a protocol-based medication but 18% of adults and 63% of children received medication contrary to the national guidelines.

The findings of the present study demonstrated that compliance and implementation of the national protocol have not reached a desired level in the Hamadan province. Therefore, educational and intervention programs should be considered by the respective authorities to improve the current situation.