Medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning diabetes-related retinopathy

• Published in: Journal of family medicine and primary care 2020-02, Vol.9 (2), p.1058-1064
• Main Authors: Alharbi, Meshari, Almazyad, Mohammad, Alatni, Basmah, Alharbi, Bakr, Alhadlaq, Abdulaziz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: and practices; attitudes; Blindness; diabetes mellitus; diabetes-related retinopathy; kap (knowledge; Medical schools; Medical students; ophthalmology; Original; Students
• ISSN: 2249-4863; 2278-7135
• DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_898_19

Context: Diabetes-related retinopathy (DR), the most common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), is a severe and preventable cause of visual loss and blindness that has been reported to be the fourth leading cause of blindness among four million cases globally. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of fourth- and fifth-year medical students concerning patients with DR. Methods and Materials: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at a College of Medicine in Saudi Arabia, in November 2018, and comprised 153 fourth- and fifth-year medical students of both sexes. Participants were required to complete a previously validated hard copy questionnaire. Results: In total, > 50% of participants showed good knowledge of DR (poor participant knowledge, n = 65, 42.5%). We found 16 (10.5%) participants had poor attitudes to DR compared to 137 (89.5%) of participants with good attitudes, and 32 (20.9%) participants showed poor practices compared to 121 (79.1%) participants showing good practices. There was a statistically significant difference between the sexes and the level of practice (P = 0.021). Conclusions: More than 50% of participants in our study showed good knowledge concerning DR, with excellent attitudes and practices. Moreover, participants' age was identified as a significant factor affecting practice regarding DR. More targeted education is required to improve their knowledge base in regard to DR. Medical faculties have a significant role in the education of medical students to ensure greater awareness of DR.