Factors associated with self-efficacy towards hepatitis C screening and treatment among primary care doctors in Selangor / Nurulhana Shaikh Mansoor

Background: Primary care doctors (PCD) play an increasingly important role in the screening and treatment of hepatitis C. PCD with good self-efficacy in HCV screening and treatment will lead to better care for hepatitis C patients. Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to complete a task or achieve a goal. The study aims to determine the factors associated with selfefficacy towards HCV screening and treatment and its associated factors among PCD in Selangor.
Method: This was a cross-sectional study using simple random sampling. The study questionnaire was distributed online using a Google form. Sociodemographic, practice characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy of PCD were collected using a validated questionnaire.
Results: A total of 242 PCD participated, with a median age of 35 years (IQR 5). The majority are female (83.9%), Malay (71.9%) with 6 years median duration of working experience (IQR 6). The mean score for self-efficacy was 12.67 (SD±3.38). The predicted factors associated with higher level of self-efficacy for HCV screening and treatment are having prior experience in treating hepatitis C (β =2.72, 95% CI 1.69, 3.76), postgraduate qualification (β=2.25, 95% CI 0.74, 3.77), prior hepatitis C training (β=1.56, 95% CI 0.75, 2.37), hepatitis C knowledge (β =0.33, 95% CI 0.08, 0.57) and attitude (β=0.08, 95% CI 0.01, 0.14).
Conclusion: Strategies addressing these five factors can improve the self-efficacy of PCD in hepatitis C screening and treatment to provide better outcome. PCD will benefit from continuous medical education and training on HCV screening and treatment, to pursue postgraduate qualification and to acquire more experience by treating HCV cases.