Congenital cytomegalovirus awareness and screening practices among healthcare providers in Poland: The CASP-D web-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Although often asymptomatic at birth, congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection constitutes a major cause of non-genetic hearing loss. In Poland, the annual incidence of cCMV is 48 per 100,000 live births.

OBJECTIVES

The study aims to assess physicians' knowledge and awareness of CMV infection.

STUDY

DESIGN

This observational study used a web-based cross-sectional design to collect data from 373 physicians via an anonymous electronic questionnaire sent to healthcare providers in Poland: specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, pediatrics, and general practitioners and non-specialists. Descriptive statistics and regression models were applied to analyze results.

RESULTS

While general knowledge of CMV transmission was comparable, differences emerged in specific clinical areas. Specialists more often offered CMV screening (87.4 % vs. 79.6 %; p = 0.001, chi-square test) and informed pregnant patients about CMV (87.4 % vs. 69.9 %; p < 0.001, chi-square test). Both groups observed noticeable misconceptions regarding transmission risk, diagnostic procedures, and long-term outcomes. Although total knowledge scores did not differ between specialists and non-specialists, higher scores were associated with specialization in maternal-fetal medicine, female gender, and ≤5 years of specialist experience. Quantile regression indicated that younger age, outpatient work setting, and female gender predicted higher knowledge levels.

CONCLUSION

This study identifies notable gaps in cCMV knowledge among healthcare providers. Specialists showed greater awareness than trainees, though short-time specialists outperformed long-time ones, underscoring the need for continuous education. Workplace setting and additional specializations were also linked to higher awareness. The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted training programs to improve cCMV prevention and management.