Knowledge and perception of inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) among healthcare students at a selected public university in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Abstract

knowledge, perception, healthcare, inborn errors metabolism Healthcare providers play an important role in improving the health of Inborn Error of Metabolism (IEM) patients. However, IEM knowledge level among local healthcare students has yet to be determined. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the knowledge and perception of IEM among local healthcare students. An online self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 378 students across the Faculty of Health Science, Pharmacy and Dentistry from a selected public university in Lembah Klang, Malaysia. For knowledge, a score of 1 is assigned to each correct answer with a maximum total score of 14. Likert scale was used to determine their perception of IEM. The total mean score of IEM knowledge among healthcare students is 5.8. There was no significant difference of mean score of IEM knowledge among the students from the Faculty of Health Science (6.1 ± 2.7), Pharmacy (5.5 ± 2.6) and Dentistry (5.8 ± 2.8). However, the score of knowledge is observed to be significantly different by ethnicity, religion and family history of IEM (p < 0.05). Furthermore, students with experience of meeting an IEM patient and attending IEM classes scored higher than those with no experience (p < 0.05). Most of the healthcare students (89.5%) perceived their knowledge to be insufficient and very poor. Majority of the students from faculty of pharmacy (70.8%) agreed that the IEM course should be mandatory compared to health sciences and dentistry (p < 0.05). This study identified an overall inadequacy of knowledge of IEM among healthcare students. There is a pressing need to improve the IEM-related knowledge and awareness of Malaysian healthcare students. This can be accomplished by incorporating online classes that emphasizes the treatment and management of IEMs in the university curriculum.

Knowledge and awareness level of healthcare professional candidate students on inherited metabolic diseases: a cross-sectional study

“…It is well documented that almost all health sciences students (99.1%) use social media to support learning, which is associated with high academic achievement [ 23 ]. In another study evaluating the level of knowledge about IMD in health sciences students, similar to our findings, the majority of students reported that they used the internet to increase their knowledge about IMD [ 11 ]. It is predicted that implementing a formal curriculum for IMDs through verified and reliable websites or online classes will result in highly effective learning.…”

“…When the knowledge levels of the individuals were evaluated, our findings were similar to the findings of recently published Saudi Arabia and Malaysia studies, concluding that both health and non-health sciences students lacked knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of IMD [ 11 , 14 ].…”

“…In our study, phenylketonuria (PKU), galactosemia, and glycogen storage diseases were identified as the top three most common IMDs. In a study conducted on health science students in Malaysia, biotinidase deficiency, phenylketonuria, and urea cycle diseases were ranked among the top three [ 11 ]. The prevalence of IMD varies among countries [ 24 ], which is thought to affect the frequency of hearing IMD.…”

“…For this purpose, newborn screening programs are carried out, and genetic counseling services are provided in our country [ 10 ]. Raising social awareness, determining the level of knowledge of healthcare professional candidate students who will face the IMD group in the field, identifying deficiencies, and reconsidering the course curricula are recommended measures to be taken [ 11 ].…”

“…It has been determined that studies have been conducted in Malaysia [ 11 ], Saudi Arabia [ 14 ], and Poland [ 15 ] to evaluate IMD knowledge levels in healthcare sciences students, but such a study has not been conducted in Turkey. Although IMDs are common in Turkey, it is known that the courses on IMDs in the health sciences education curriculum of universities that train health professionals are inadequate.…”