Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only mode of therapy that has been demonstrated to offer a cure for the patients with IgE mediated respiratory allergic diseases by modulating the immune response.We aimed to assess the healthcare providers knowledge about this therapeutic pathway to provide a basis for new directives for the future educational programs.
It is a cross-sectional, descriptive study including 44 participants. We used a pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire to collect the data in an online mode.
100 participants were included in our study .We enrolled residents (15.9%),specialists (40.9%),universitary professors (18.2%) and paramedics (15.9%).Most of them treated patients with allergen-specific immunotherapy (80%).Doctors aimed to induce tolerance, release the symptoms, reduce the symptomatic treatment use. As regards the follow-up of these patients, all of them recommend the clinical assessment. About (23%) use the spirometric findings in addition. Only (4.54%) of them use biomarkers to assess the efficiency of this treatment. Most of them (81.4%) have faced many challenges for the administration of the specific immunotherapy: the cost of the treatment (97.5%), lack of knowledge (11.3%), lack of the treatment (36%), fear of the adverse reactions (11.3%).The mean global score of the questionnaire was (13/26) (ranging from 5 to 18). (30%) of them don?t know about the seasonal therapeutic protocol and (14%) the perennial protocol.Besides, (45%) use commonly recombinant antigens as biomarkers with a mean of (4-5/year).
To conclude, further training courses are required to improve the helathcare providers knowledge about immunotherapy.