Full Text (PDF)
Abstract
Background: Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease presented with the irreversible bronchial dilatation at chest computed tomograph scan and by a vicious vortex characterized by mucus accumulation, chronic inflammation and recurrent infections. Bronchiectasis is often linked to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). The aim of this survey is to know the awareness of general practitioners (GPs) about bronchiectasis and NTM to build a link between specialist and general doctor and improve the management of each patient with diagnosis of bronchiectasis and/or NTM, preventing the exacerbation and the progressive decline.
Methods: A cross-sectional, Internet-based questionnaire-survey on the bronchiectasis and NTM was conducted between January 2025 and May 2025. The survey was sent to GPs working in the local health authority (ASL) Rome 1, district 13 and 14, which are adjacent to the San Filippo Neri Hospital, where there is the bronchiectasis and NTM clinic. The total number of doctors for both districts is 205. Standard descriptive statistics were used for analyzing the data.
Results: Among 205 GPs, 33 responded. The completion rate was 100% and typical time spent 1 m 43 sec. All colleagues (100%) reported to be familiar with bronchiectasis, whereas 4 of them (12%) have never heard of NTM. As regards NTMs, almost all GPs (90%) considered them contaminants, however many of them (77%) were unaware of treatment and its timing. Discussion In this survey we collected data about the awareness of bronchiectasis and NTM among GPs. Even though the time required to complete the survey was minimal and the questions were quite simple, only 15% of recipients responded. In Italy the absence of the unified healthcare system and the centralized sharing health records could be one of the major obstacles to the awareness of the less common disease, as bronchiectasis and NTM infections.
Conclusion: This study highlights significant gaps in GPs knowledge of NTM infections and, to a lesser extent, bronchiectasis, emphasizing the need for improved training. It is crucial promoting collaboration among specialists and clinical practitioners to enhance both diagnosis and management of patients with bronchiectasis and NTM infections.
Keywords
License
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Original Article
J CONTEMP STUD EPIDEMIOL PUBLIC HEALTH, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2026, Article No: ep26020
https://doi.org/10.29333/jconseph/18758
Publication date: 15 Jun 2026
Article Views: 28
Article Downloads: 6
Open Access References How to cite this article