Assessing the effectiveness of Chagas disease education for healthcare providers in the United States

Abstract

Background Chagas disease is a zoonotic infection caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which affects an estimated 8–11 million people globally. Chagas disease is almost always associated with poverty in rural areas and disproportionately impacts immigrants from Latin America living in the United States. Approximately 20–30% of people who are infected with Chagas disease will develop a chronic form of the infection that can be fatal if left untreated. Chagas disease is vastly underestimated in the United States, often goes undiagnosed and is not well understood by most U.S. healthcare providers. One of the most important ways at reducing barriers to improving diagnostics of Chagas disease in the U.S. is giving healthcare providers the most up-to-date information and access to leading experts. Methods An online webinar was conducted for healthcare providers, veterinarians and public health professionals using Chagas disease expert panelists. Pre and post tests were administered to participants (n = 57) to determine the efficacy in raising awareness and to determine key focus areas for improving knowledge. A Wilcoxon rank-sum was used for non-parametric variables equivalent and for questions that assessed knowledge the McNemar’s Chi-Square test was used. Results There were statistically significant learning increases in multiple categories including transmission (p = <.001), clinical presentation (p = 0.016), diagnostics (p = <.001), and treatment (p = <.001). Conclusion Providing easily accessible learning opportunities using validated testing and evaluations should be further developed for rural healthcare providers in the U.S. as well as healthcare providers serving under represented populations such as immigrants. There is a clear lack of knowledge and awareness surrounding Chagas disease in the United States and just by raising awareness and providing education on the topic, lives will be saved.

Use of benznidazole to treat chronic Chagas disease: An updated systematic review with a meta-analysis

“…Nevertheless, after benznidazole approval by the US FDA, the monthly average of treated patients increase from five persons to 13 (comparing all the previous period to the 9 months following its commercialization), with 90% of these patients being adults, despite that the FDA’s indication was only for paediatric use [ 54 ]. In addition, it is expected that chronic Chagas disease would progressively increase its relevance in endemic and non-endemic areas as a consequence of the empowerment of affected populations [ 55 ], better knowledge of the disease by health workers [ 56 ], and better access to diagnosis and treatment [ 57 ]. Therefore, it is mandatory to establish a common position on the indication for treatment in this population.…”

“Chagas Express XXI”: A new ArtScience social technology for health and science education—A case study in Brazilian endemic areas of Chagas disease with an active search of chronic cases

“…The education/communication approach was shown to be a valuable tool for healthcare providers [ 48 ] but also among the people residing in an endemic area, which may be able to recognize the endemic vector [ 49 ]. In addition, the present approach was instrumental in promoting the community awareness and it is relevant among patients [ 50 ], presumably encouraging diagnosis and treatment.…”

Recognition and screening for Chagas disease in the USA

“…A recent physician education pilot campaign in Texas highlighted the value and capacity of targeted education campaigns. 10 In addition, direct-to-patient advertisements in Spanish-language media, as well as in churches and other protected spots, are also viable targets.…”

“…9 However, physician education campaigns have proven to be successful in the USA, and future efforts should work on expanding these targeted campaigns among physicians who work closely with Hispanic populations. 10 Intraspecies genetic diversity of the parasite could influence the variation in disease manifestations and diagnostic performance across different geographic regions. TcII, TcV, and TcVI are more prevalent in the Southern Cone (Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina), while TcI is more common in the Northern Cone.…”