A Study Designed to Determine the Status of Attitudes and Behaviors of Physicians Towards Atherosclerosis and Dyslipidemia in Different Clinics Across Turkey

Background and Aims: Most of the patients failing to meet recommended LDL-C goals. Investigating physicians’ attitudes and behaviors may show the root causes of non-achievement. An attitudes and behaviors study involving a sufficiently representative population of physicians in Turkey, to reveal primary concerns in dealing with dyslipidemia has not been conducted. The study aims to reveal attitudes and behaviors that may be consistent to manage patients with dyslipidemia. Methods: The questionnaire with 26 questions was developed to understand physician attitudes and behaviors without interfering decisions of physicians and patients. We aim to reach a total of 850 physicians (150 cardiologists, 100 endocrinologists, 250 internal medicine specialists, 50 nephrologists, 150 general practitioners, 100 family medicine specialists, 50 cardiovascular surgeons/ neurologists) based on NUTS-1 regional classification in Turkey. The survey will be conducted in 12 provinces to ensure the representation of Turkey. The margin of error for the survey is 3.3 percentage points with 95% confidence interval for each population. All physicians will complete the questionnaire in face to face with an interviewer. Research-related data and evaluation criteria data will be summarized using descriptive statistics. Categorical data will be displayed as absolute and relative frequencies for each category. Results: Achieving the currently recommended lipid levels, awareness of adverse reactions to drug therapy and priority in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) appears to vary depending on medical specialty and health care center. Conclusions: Our survey research in physicians will refer strategic plans to strengthen harmonization between patient and physicians. A survey research reflecting patients’ attitudes and behaviors is also needed.