Asthma care practicing among general practitioners in Lebanon: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to characterize the current practice of asthma among general practitioners (GPs) in Lebanon. METHODS: Out of 2450 Lebanese registered GPs, a representative sample of 330 were stratified by region to fill out the questionnaire constructed on the basis of surveys developed mainly by the Chicago Asthma Surveillance Initiative Report Team in newly moderate persistent asthma patients aged 5 years and above. The questionnaire included information about ascertaining diagnostic techniques, pharmacotherapeutic approaches, formal patient education program; asthma related continuing medical education and asthma practice guidelines. RESULTS: Totally, 302 completed the questionnaire achieving a response rate of 91.5%. Chest radiography was the most commonly used diagnostic test (98%), while stain for eosinophilia was the less commonly used (7.9%). For clinical monitoring, cough and wheezing (98.7%) were mostly assessed. Short acting inhaled β(2)-agonists were often the most prescribed (94.3%) followed by inhaled corticosteroids (87.4%) then by long acting β-agonist (LABA) and theophylline (27.5% and 20.9%, respectively). Moreover, 10% of GPs provided formal asthma education program, 72.2% attended professional education and 65% adopted guidelines. CONCLUSION: Based on current international guidelines, the overall Lebanese GPs practice of asthma management is not at an acceptable standard. Therefore, it is recommended to improve monitoring parameters, implement the asthma guidelines nationally and improve patient education.