A questionnaire was sent to all 350 junior doctors working in two London teaching hospitals to assess their knowledge about treatment after exposure to HIV, known as post exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
The 273 completed questionnaires showed that virtually all of them had heard of PEP, but one in five was unaware that it could reduce the risk of infection. Only 8 per cent of the doctors could name the recommended PEP drugs and over four out of 10 were unable to identify any. Almost a third did not know that these drugs needed to be given within an hour of exposure.
Three out of four of the doctors surveyed reported that they had been at high risk of exposure to potentially infective material at some stage in their careers.
Up to 1997, 95 definite and 191 possible cases of occupationally acquired HIV infection had been reported, 16 per cent of which were in doctors or medical students. "The combination of high risk of exposure coupled with poor knowledge of PEP is of serious concern," conclude the authors.
[Post-exposure prophylaxis for human immunodeficiency virus: knowledge and experience of junior doctors 2001; 77: 444-5]
Journal
Sexually Transmitted Infections