Physician Attitudes

A survey to investigate the attitudes of physicians-in-training on prevention and treatment of LTBI was conducted. An anonymous survey was distributed among medical house-staff at Harlem Hospital. All participants were foreign medical graduates. Of 77 participants, 72% were male, mean age of 31.4, mean years post-graduation 8.0 (range 3-18), mean years practiced in US 2.0 (range 0-7). 62.7% were PPD+, and 88.3% had received BCG vaccine. Regarding attitudes, most (66.2%) believed that BCG offers protection for a short time. Only 57.9% believed that LTBI treatment offers protection against TB and 16.0% felt that LTBI treatment involved more risks than benefits. Under different scenarios, most recommended LTBI treatment for BCG-vaccinated patients with positive PPDs (67.1% - 96.1%), with less support for treating family (55.6%) and themselves (49.3%). For recent converters, more than 80% recommended LTBI treatment under all scenarios.