COHERENCE PHYSICIANS ACTIONS IN THE PREVENTION OF VIRAL HEPATITIS C IN CHILDREN: A PILOT STUDY

Objective of the research: to assess the physicians' coherence on the prevention of viral hepatitis C (HCV) in children at the stages of medical care in maternity and child protection service (MCPS). Materials and methods: pilot study, coherence was assessed according to the questionnaire data of 4 groups of MCPS specialists: therapeutists (n=73), obstetricians-gynecologists (n=47), neonatologists (n=24) and pediatricians (n=87) using the Cohen's Kappa (κ). Results of the physicians’ coherence on the prevention of HCV did not reach the degree of good (p<0,05) and excellent (p<0,05) and depended on the semantic content of the question and the physicians’ specialty. Therapists had the worst agreement in the answers to questions reflecting medical activity, obstetriciansgynecologists – in terms of special knowledge about HCV, neonatologists – in their answers to questions on the organization of medical care for patients with HCV and patients from HCV-risk groups. Pediatricians, as well as therapeutists, had the greatest differences in answers to questions reflecting medical activity and, similarly to neonatologists, inconsistencies on organizational issues. Conclusions: it is necessary to develop and implement measures in practical healthcare that ensure consistency and continuity of physicians in the prevention HCV in children at each of the stages of medical care in MCPS.