Physician Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Viral Exanthem Diagnosis and Mandatory Reporting Requirements in Major Metropolitan Regions of Florida, USA
- 1Foundational Science, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Lauderdale, USA
- 2Foundational Science, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Clearwater, USA
- 3Public Health, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Lauderdale, USA
Abstract
Background Viral exanthems (VEs), including vaccine-preventable infections such as measles and rubella and non-vaccine-preventable infections such as roseola, remain clinically relevant. Declining vaccination rates and recent outbreaks have increased the importance of timely diagnosis and mandatory reporting. In addition, the relative rarity of vaccine-preventable diseases in modern clinical practice may reduce physician familiarity with these infections. Methods This IRB-exempt cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Florida physicians regarding VE diagnosis and reporting requirements using a 19-question Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap; Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA) survey. Participants included physicians and residents in family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, and infectious disease specialties. Statistical analyses included analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA), Tukey post hoc testing, and linear regression. Results A total of 162 physicians completed the survey, with 146 complete responses included in inferential analyses. Pediatricians demonstrated the highest overall knowledge scores (82.66%), followed by internal medicine (76.39%) and family medicine physicians (73.26%). Overall knowledge differences among specialties were significant (F(2,143) = 3.31, p = 0.039), with pediatricians scoring significantly higher than family medicine physicians. No significant specialty differences were identified when vignette-based diagnostic or mandatory reporting questions were analyzed independently. Most physicians, 148 (91.36%), expressed interest in additional training on VE diagnosis and management. Greater physician confidence was significantly associated with higher diagnostic knowledge (β = 10.73, p < 0.001) and reporting knowledge (β = 9.68, p < 0.001). Roseola was the most commonly diagnosed VE in clinical practice, followed by measles and rubella. Conclusion Florida physicians demonstrated moderate-to-high knowledge of VE diagnosis and reporting requirements; however, notable gaps remained, particularly in differentiating rubella from similar exanthems. Interpretation is limited by the non-random respondent sample, uneven speciality representation, and potential nonresponse bias. Pediatricians outperformed family medicine physicians, although deficiencies were observed across specialties. These findings identify areas in which additional physician education may be beneficial, particularly regarding the clinical differentiation of viral exanthems and mandatory reporting requirements. As vaccination rates decline and outbreaks increase, improving early recognition and reporting of VE remains important for outbreak prevention and public health preparedness.
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BibTeX
@article{chen2026physician,
title = {{Physician Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Viral Exanthem Diagnosis and Mandatory Reporting Requirements in Major Metropolitan Regions of Florida, USA}},
author = {Winnie Chen and Sarah Ballarin and Maria Fioletova and Chanakya R Bhosale and Thomas Matthews and Cyril Blavo and Jayson Forbes and Anna K Potter},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.117145},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13718372},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Physician Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Viral Exanthem Diagnosis and Mandatory Reporting Requirements in Major Metropolitan Regions of Florida, USA
AU - Winnie Chen
AU - Sarah Ballarin
AU - Maria Fioletova
AU - Chanakya R Bhosale
AU - Thomas Matthews
AU - Cyril Blavo
AU - Jayson Forbes
AU - Anna K Potter
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.117145
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13718372
AB - Background Viral exanthems (VEs), including vaccine-preventable infections such as measles and rubella and non-vaccine-preventable infections such as roseola, remain clinically relevant. Declining vaccination rates and recent outbreaks have increased the importance of timely diagnosis and mandatory reporting. In addition, the relative rarity of vaccine-preventable diseases in modern clinical practice may reduce physician familiarity with these infections. Methods This IRB-exempt cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Florida physicians regarding VE diagnosis and reporting requirements using a 19-question Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap; Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA) survey. Participants included physicians and residents in family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, and infectious disease specialties. Statistical analyses included analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA), Tukey post hoc testing, and linear regression. Results A total of 162 physicians completed the survey, with 146 complete responses included in inferential analyses. Pediatricians demonstrated the highest overall knowledge scores (82.66%), followed by internal medicine (76.39%) and family medicine physicians (73.26%). Overall knowledge differences among specialties were significant (F(2,143) = 3.31, p = 0.039), with pediatricians scoring significantly higher than family medicine physicians. No significant specialty differences were identified when vignette-based diagnostic or mandatory reporting questions were analyzed independently. Most physicians, 148 (91.36%), expressed interest in additional training on VE diagnosis and management. Greater physician confidence was significantly associated with higher diagnostic knowledge (β = 10.73, p < 0.001) and reporting knowledge (β = 9.68, p < 0.001). Roseola was the most commonly diagnosed VE in clinical practice, followed by measles and rubella. Conclusion Florida physicians demonstrated moderate-to-high knowledge of VE diagnosis and reporting requirements; however, notable gaps remained, particularly in differentiating rubella from similar exanthems. Interpretation is limited by the non-random respondent sample, uneven speciality representation, and potential nonresponse bias. Pediatricians outperformed family medicine physicians, although deficiencies were observed across specialties. These findings identify areas in which additional physician education may be beneficial, particularly regarding the clinical differentiation of viral exanthems and mandatory reporting requirements. As vaccination rates decline and outbreaks increase, improving early recognition and reporting of VE remains important for outbreak prevention and public health preparedness.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -