Method: This investigation was a cross-sectional study carried out during centralized workshops for two groups of trainees using a validated questionnaire: (i) junior trainees were newly enrolled postgraduate trainees in the Graduate Certificate in Family Medicine (GCFM) program, and (ii) senior trainees were postgraduate trainees in Advance Training in Family Medicine (ATFM) programs of the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia (AFPM).
Results: A total of 223 trainees (127 junior and 96 senior) participated in this study. Only 55.2% of the trainees passed the knowledge test; senior trainees were more likely to pass the knowledge test compared to junior trainees (69.8% vs. 44.1%, p < 0.001). Female trainees were significantly more likely to pass the knowledge test than male trainees. While the attitude of senior and junior trainees was similar, more of the latter group worked in public clinic that provide better support where there is better support for outpatient anticoagulation treatment (e.g., same-day INR test, direct access echocardiogram, and warfarin in in-house pharmacy).
Conclusion: Vocational training in family medicine appears to improve primary care physicians' knowledge regarding the management of AF. Better knowledge will help vocationally trained primary care physicians to provide anticoagulation treatment for AF within primary care clinics. More optimal AF management within primary care can take place if the identified barriers are addressed and a shared care plan can be implemented.
METHODS: The scale development involved three phases: i) generation of domains based on the literature, ii) generation of sub-domains based on literature review and Islamic panel survey, and iii) generation of items.
RESULTS: Preliminary version of IPM3P consists of 59 items was produced, representing three domains: Obligation (18 items), Practice (21 items), and Difficulty (20 items), and seven sub-domains ('Ibadah', 'Aqidah', 'Muamalat', 'Tasawwuf', 'Akhlak','Da'wah', and 'Sirah').
CONCLUSION: The preliminary version of IPM3P needs to be psychometrically tested. This pioneering study may become an impetus towards more research pertaining to understanding the effect of hearing loss towards religious life in the future in Malaysia.