Descriptive study of healthcare professionals’ management of tick bites

Abstract

Introduction Rural primary health centers frequently treat patients with tick bites. This study compares everyday clinical practice at our primary healthcare center to practices recommended by current scientific evidence. Purpose To describe the everyday management of tick bites by different healthcare professionals and to compare this management to evidence-based therapy guidelines. Design Cross-sectional, descriptive observational study. Methods Data was collected through an anonymous self-completed questionnaire. The form was filled out by a consecutive sample of nurses, physicians and pediatricians of the clinical management unit of Medina-Sidonia (Cádiz). Results Most nurses in the sample group use some type of product to facilitate the extraction of the tick (10 of the 11 surveyed nurses, 90.9%). The most frequently used products were chloroethyl and local anesthetic. In addition, nine nurses use gentle traction with tweezers (81.82%) to remove the tick. In the physician sample group, 3 out of 12 respondents (25%) prescribe antibiotics in all cases and nine stated that they knew which antibiotic should be used as first choice. In both cases, a high number of healthcare providers confirm giving post-extraction advice to patients: 11 in the medical community (91.66%) and nine nurses (81.82%). Conclusions We conclude that the performance of the healthcare providers that integrate this study does not closely follow general recommendations for extraction, treatment and follow-up care in patients with tick bites. Therefore, there is a need to improve the level of knowledge to ensure quality care in these instances.

Keywords

• ixodidae
• ticks
• tick infestations
• bites and stings