Anaesthetists' knowledge of antiretroviral drugs with specific relevance to anaesthesia
Date
2018
Authors
Omar Maryam
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Abstract
Background: The inability of modern medicine to find a cure for the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV), has made the disease one of the deadliest pathogens of the 21st century. However,
a growing understanding of the incurable yet lethal nature of HIV has led to the development of
antiretroviral treatment (ART) as a means to control the virulence of the disease and improve life
expectancy. South Africa has the largest HIV epidemic in the world, with 19% of the global number
of HIV cases. It also has the largest treatment programme, accounting for 20% of people on ART
globally. In the perioperative context, Penfold et al estimated that 29.4% of HIV-positive patients in
the state health sector will encounter surgery and anaesthesia. In view of this, healthcare
professionals require knowledge of ART. This assertion is echoed by the South African Society of
Anaesthesiology (SASA), which requires anaesthetists to have extensive pharmacological
knowledge of ART and its interactions with anaesthetic agents. The aim of this study was to
describe the level of knowledge of anaesthetists at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)
Department of Anaesthesia on ART, with specific relevance to anaesthesia.
Method: A prospective, contextual and descriptive research design, involving a self-administered
the questionnaire was used. The questionnaire consisted of two sections: demographic data and
knowledge-based questions. Convenience sampling was used. The sample population included
Wits anaesthetists who attended academic meetings and who voluntarily elected to participate.
Results: Descriptive statistics were used. The overall mean score obtained by the 130 participants
was 8 (50%) (SD 2.8), which is 30% below the adequate score of 80%. The range of scores
attained by participants was 1-15 (6-94%) with only five (4%) participants achieving a score of~
80%.
Conclusion: The majority of anaesthetists in the Department of Anaesthesia did not have
adequate knowledge of ART, specifically with regard to their interactions with anaesthetic agents.
Description
A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences,
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in the partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Medicine in the branch of Anaesthesiology