EVALUATION OF BRAZILIAN GYNECOLOGISTS' KNOWLEDGE ABOUT OSTEOPOROSIS THERAPY IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

Abstract

Aims: To evaluate Brazilian gynecologists’ knowledge about osteoporosis therapy. Methods: Invitations have been sent by email to 11,164 gynecologists registered in the Hormogin mailing to answer a structured questionnaire on the Internet. Results: Of the 11,164 invitations sent messages, 503 failed. There were 1237 responses to the questionnaire, and 977 met the inclusion criteria. The distribution of responses by regions of the country was similar to the distribution of gynecologists, according to the Febrasgo. The average age of those included was 45.2±10.9 years and median 45. The time since graduation was 20.2±10.7 years, median 20. Of the 946 (96.8 %) gynecologists who investigate osteoporosis, 820 (86.7 %) treat this disease and the remaining refer to another medical colleague. Those who treat osteoporosis are younger than those who do not (44.8 vs. 10.8±48.1 ±10.9, respectively, p=00.001) and have less time since graduation (19.9±10.6 vs. 22.8±10.8, p=00.004). Physicians without academic ties responded more frequently than those with university ties (87.8 % vs. 80.6 %, p=00.023). Only 45 (4.8 %) correctly answered all questions about the drugs used for osteoporosis, however, 760 (80.3 %) answered at least one correct treatment and none wrong. There were no significant differences in responses between doctors without ties to university services and those of the academic environment. Those who answered none wrong treatment were younger than those who choose at least one incorrect treatment (43.7±9.3 vs. 45.7±11.3 years, respectively, p=00.032) also had fewer years since graduation (18.8±9.3 vs. 20.7±11.0 years, respectively, p=00.032). The association of calcium and vitamin D was considere deffective for the treatment of osteoporosis for 50.3 % of respondents, while 67.3 % considered hormone replacement therapy effective. Sodium alendronate was the most often mentioned osteoporosis drug therapy (95.0 %), followed by risedronate sodium (79.4 %) and hormone replacement therapy (68 %). There were no differences in prescriptive habits among physicians with no links to university services and those of the academic environment. Conclusion: The vast majority of Brazilian gynecologist treats osteoporosis. Although most known effective treatments and prescribing them, there are still gaps in knowledge about the effectiveness of some therapeutic modalities.