Objective: The primary goal of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of general practitioners and emergency medicine specialists working in emergency departments regarding tetanus vaccines and prophylaxis.

Materials and
Methods: This cross-sectional prospective study involved administering an online questionnaire to emergency physicians to gauge their knowledge and attitudes toward tetanus vaccination and prophylaxis. Data collection spanned from June 15, 2022, to September 15, 2022. The study compared the knowledge and attitudes of general practitioners and emergency medicine specialists regarding tetanus vaccination and prophylaxis.

Results: The study included 167 physicians, comprising 94 males (56.3%), 69 females (41.3%), and 4 unspecified (2.4%). Among them, 97 (58.1%) were emergency medicine specialists and 70 (41.9%) were general practitioners, with an average age of 32.42±8.47 years (range 21–55). Comparisons of knowledge levels about tetanus-suspect injuries (dirty wounds, wounds in contact with feces and saliva, burns, bites, and frostbite) revealed that environmental management systems had significantly higher knowledge levels than general practitioners (p=0.005, p<0.0001, p=0.001, and p<0.0001). Similarly, emergency medicine specialists exhibited superior knowledge regarding tetanus prophylaxis, particularly in relation to wound cleanliness, vaccination frequency, and years since the last vaccination.

Conclusion: The findings indicated that while emergency physicians possess general knowledge about tetanus, their understanding of the tetanus vaccination program and proper application of prophylaxis post-acute injury is insufficient. The study advocates for regular and comprehensive training on tetanus immunization for all emergency department physicians to enhance awareness and application accuracy in clinical settings.