Southern Queensland general practitioners' knowledge and attitudes towards Q fever and behaviours in the management of the disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Q fever (QF) is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, often associated with abattoir workers and farmers. Recent analysis suggests that QF might occur more frequently in urban areas. This study ascertains the knowledge of, and attitudes towards, QF and behaviours in the management of QF among general practitioners (GPs) across rural and urban areas. METHOD:This cross-sectional survey study targeted GPs working in regional Queensland. GPs were asked to complete a 59-item questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to compare respondent demographics with attitude ratings and knowledge scores. RESULTS:Diagnosing a patient with QF was significantly related to practitioner age, years in practice and practising in a rural area. DISCUSSION:This study shows gaps in GP QF knowledge, particularly around QF management. With increased urbanisation of rural areas potentially leading to increases in acute QF cases, GPs need to improve their knowledge of this disease.