Praktyki leczenia i edukacja ustawiczna w terapii padaczki u psów wśród lekarzy weterynarii w Indiach
Management practices and continuing education in the treatment of canine idiopathic epilepsy among Indian primary care veterinarians
W skrócie
Badanie dotyczyło tego, jak indyjscy lekarze weterynarii leczą padaczkę u psów, gdy brak dostępu do specjalistów neurologicznych. Okazało się, że najczęściej przepisują lek zwany fenobarbitalom, ale wielu z nich nie reguluje stężenia leków we krwi u chorych zwierząt, co utrudnia właściwe monitorowanie leczenia. Po otrzymaniu materiałów edukacyjnych od specjalistów lekarze czuli się bardziej pewni swoich decyzji leczniczych i dostrzegali znaczną wartość w tej dodatkowej wiedzy.
Oryginalny abstract (angielski)
BACKGROUND: In India and countries without veterinary neurologists, dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) are managed by primary care veterinarians. Data are lacking on their practice patterns. OBJECTIVES: Describe management of canine IE among Indian primary care veterinarians and explore the impact of access to educational materials about epilepsy. METHODS: Prospective, two-phased, survey-based study of Indian veterinarians focused on treatment and monitoring of canine IE and perceived confidence in management recommendations (1/not comfortable to 5/very comfortable). Participants who agreed to Phase II received concise guidelines about IE with a follow-up survey distributed after 6 months. Descriptive statistics summarized management trends and compared confidence scores between surveys. RESULTS: 187 veterinarians participated in Phase I and of these, 36 participated in Phase II. Phenobarbital was the most common anti-seizure drug prescribed, chosen mostly due to efficacy. Most respondents (118/187; 63%) recommended routine lab work and (84/187; 45%) recommended measuring phenobarbital or potassium bromide blood concentration every 6-12 months; (61/187; 33%) reported not measuring blood concentrations routinely. Long-term management of IE and adverse effects of medications were rated as most challenging. Nearly half of Phase II respondents (17/36; 47%) ranked the educational materials as extremely beneficial. Mean self-reported comfort level was 3.3 (SD 0.97) and 3.69 (SD 0.89) for Phase I and II, respectively; most (20/36; 56%) reported no change between surveys. CONCLUSION: Challenges for Indian veterinarians in the chronic management of canine IE related to anti-seizure drug monitoring and adverse effects. Exploratory Phase II findings identified positive reception to educational support from specialists.