Scope and Predictors of Travel Medicine Practice among Primary Care Physicians in Qatar

Abstract

Background In an era of globalization, travel-related illnesses have become a focus of public ‎health concern. Pretravel consultation is an effective measure for the prevention travel-related illnesses. ‎ The purpose of this study was to assess the scope of primary care physicians’ (PCP) practice of travel medicine (TM) in Qatar and its associated predictors. Methods This was a cross-sectional study design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect ‎data from all PCPs working in all 27 primary healthcare centers in Qatar.‎ Descriptive and analytic statistics were used as appropriate. ‎A multivariable logistic regression model was constructed to identify predictors of TM practice. Results Three hundred sixty-four PCPs participated in the study with a response rate of 89.2%. Most PCPs (91.1%) reported they provided pretravel consultations of which 72.7% provided < 10 consultations per month and almost half of them reported they spent between 10 and 19 minutes for pretravel consultation. ‎Overall, pretravel advice content and frequency including vaccine and malaria chemoprophylaxis recommendations were inadequate. The significant predictors of high frequency of pretravel consultations (≥ 10/month) included PCPs who had past experience in TM (AOR 2.082, 95% CI: 1.209, 3.585) and multilingual physicians (AOR 2.067, 95% CI: 1.180, 3.619). Patients with chronic diseases and pregnant women ‎ were specific patient groups more frequently counselled about pretravel advice. Frequently encountered post-travel illnesses included travelers’ diarrhea, respiratory diseases, and fever. Conclusions The majority of PCPs provided pretravel consultations. However, the frequency and content of consultations were inadequate. Past experience in TM and multilingual physicians were important predictors of providing a high frequency of pretravel consultation. The findings of this study identified several gaps in PCPs’ TM practice. Specific measures should be designed and implemented to promote ‎healthy travel and reduce the burden of travel-related illnesses in Qatar.