Awareness about scabies among general medical practitioners (GPs) of Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To investigate the awareness of general medical practitioners (GPs) about scabies and to evaluate the differences in awareness, if any, between general medical practitioners graduated recently (last 10 years) and more than 10 years practicing in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A pre-tested questionnaire survey was conducted among 200 GPs through a cross-sectional study design and a descriptive analysis was performed. Results: Present study showed that a substantial number of GPs have inadequate knowledge regarding causative organism of scabies. If responding correctly to 75% of questions asked, is taken as the criterion for satisfactory awareness, only 36% of GPs had a satisfactory level of awareness. There was no effect of increasing age or years of experience on the level of awareness. Conclusion: There is a general lack of knowledge regarding various aspects of scabies among GPs. Therefore, active intervention is required to improve their awareness (JPMA 51:370,2001).