Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Comparison of knowledge of 4th and 6th year students

The relevance of studying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is due to the significant incidence of this pathology among the population, the huge economic costs of its treatment, as well as the constant increase in the percentage of people with disabilities and deaths among patients. In recent years, there has been a trend toward a real epidemic of COPD, which is likely due to an increase in the average life expectancy of the population and a rise in the number of female smokers. Purpose of the study: to assess the level of knowledge of senior students in the COPD etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment, and compare the obtained results between 4th and 6th year students. Materials and methods. A survey of 4th and 6th year students of the Mari State University as part of the ASCO IV project (the full name of the project is the “Assessment of Senior Medical Students in the Field of COPD”) was conducted in 2024. 94 4th year students and 94 6th year students took part in the survey. Methods of descriptive and nonparametric statistics were used (the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the Mann-Whitney U Test, median test, etc.). Results and discussion. The students studying in the 4th and 6th years did not demonstrate significant differences in the level of knowledge. The average completeness of response (ACR) for the 4th year students was 67.9%, and for the 6th year students – 65.1% (p<0.001). The students of both samples showed the best results in questions about risk factors, diagnosis, and severity options for bronchial obstruction in COPD. The most difficult questions to resolve were the basic treatment of COPD with severe symptoms and a high risk of exacerbations, as well as the choice of empirical antibiotic therapy for patients with exacerbations of this disease. Conclusions. The results of the study indicate that the students have good knowledge in the field of epidemiology, etiology, and diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but their awareness of the treatment of this disease remains at an insufficient level.