General Practitioners and Breast Imaging Modalities: Their Knowledge and Associated Determinants

Background: General practitioners (GPs) are usually the first-line doctorsvisiting patients with breast problems. Therefore, their knowledge about breastdiseases is of significant importance for proper screening and referral of patientsand warrants scrutiny. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge ofGPs regarding different breast imaging modalities.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we asked participants in an annual GPconference to complete a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire elicitedinformation about the GP’s characteristics such as age, gender and workexperience and eight multiple choice questions about how to use different imagingmodalities and manage patients with breast disorders were also proposed.Results: In total, ۲۷۰ GPs completed the questionnaire (۱۵۵ females and ۱۱۵males). The results showed a significant association between frequency of GPschoosing the correct imaging modality in a ۵۰-year-old asymptomatic patient andparticipants' age ( ۴۰) and duration of work experience ( ۵) (P = ۰.۰۰۲ and P =۰.۰۱۶, respectively). Also, a significant association was revealed between genderof GPs (female) and correct answers regarding management of nipple discharge (P= ۰.۰۲۴). There were no significant associations between the other variables andanswers to the other questions.Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the importance ofimplementing continuous medical education for GPs in approach to breast diseases.