TITLE:
Physicians’ Practices toward Thyroid Nodules: Experience of the City of Casablanca, Morocco
AUTHORS:
Hajar Tabiti, Amal Guensi, Karima Bendahhou
KEYWORDS:
Physician’s Practice, Thyroid Nodule Management, Survey, Questionnaire
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.10 No.6,
June
20,
2023
ABSTRACT: Thyroid nodules (TN) are very frequent, with up to 8% of adults having palpable nodules and by using ultrasound we can detect up to 10 times more nodules (Yeung & Serpell, 2008) [1]. In the absence of any guidelines for thyroid nodule management in Morocco, our study aims to describe physicians’ practices in the Greater Casablanca Region regarding thyroid nodules. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study using a questionnaire issued to doctors who practice in the Greater Casablanca Region in both sectors public and private. Results show that half of the participants do a general exam for all patients and 72% of them include a routine palpation of thyroid. When they found a thyroid nodule, 97% and 99% demanded ultrasonography and TSH measure respectively. Furthermore, thirty percent refer patients for management regardless of the EU-TIRADS score. In brief, the management of thyroid nodules in Morocco needs a guideline based on the latest research advances and international guidelines, to improve diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules and avoid overdiagnosis and overtreatment.