Knowledge, attitude and practice among non-ophthalmic health care providers regarding eye management of diabetics in private sector of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background The levels of knowledge, attitude and practice among primary physicians concerning both diabetic retinopathy screening and treatment of sight threatening diabetic retinopathy have been studied by different groups, such as medical students, pharmacists, Primary Health Care staff and opticians. In some studies, the levels were very high, while in others it was noted to be less than desired. Aim This study’s intent is to estimate and improve level of Knowledge (K), Attitude (A) and Practice (P) among non-ophthalmic health care providers regarding eye management of diabetes and barriers that people with diabetes face in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional survey targeted medical doctors (except ophthalmologists) working at private sector institutions in Riyadh. They were interviewed using closed-ended questions for knowledge (8), attitude (5), practice (5), and reasons for their current KAP status comprised of 8 questions. The level of Knowledge was assessed as good if its score was (> 50%); positive attitude (> 50%) and excellent practice (> 75%) were estimated and associated to the risk factors. Results Out of the 355 participants that were interviewed, the percentages of good knowledge, positive attitude and excellent practice concerning diabetic retinopathy (DR)were 193 [54.3% (95% CI 49.2–59.5)], 111 [31.3% (95% CI 26.4–36.1)], and 145 [40.8% (95% CI 35.7–46.0) participants, respectively. Gender, place of work and type of doctor were not significantly associated with the level of KAP. Salient reasons for low KAP status included a busy schedule (54.6%), less resources (75.2%), inadequate periodic training in eye care (69%), and absence of retinal evaluation training (49.6%). Conclusions Improving KAP level is urgently needed. Addressing underlying causes of low KAP could enhance eye care of people with diabetes. Additionally, training for primary health care providers for early detection of DR and timely management of sight threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) is necessary.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Diabetic Retinopathy among Primary Care Physicians of Saudi Arabia: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

“…Furthermore, the present study did not reveal an association between male and female genders with the attitude and practice scores. Contrary to the present study findings, a study performed in the Riyadh region of the KSA found no association between age and nationality [ 28 ]. Interestingly, a study undertaken by Alharbi et al found that the practice scores were significantly associated with the gender of their study participants [ 29 ].…”

Mismatch of corneal specialists’ expectations and keratoconus knowledge in general ophthalmologists - a prospective observational study in Switzerland

“…Up to now, little was known about differences in general ophthalmologists’ and corneal specialists’ knowledge regarding chronic eye disease such as keratoconus. Abu-Amara et al reported a substantial mismatch of expected primary care physicians’ knowledge for the screening and treatment of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy [ 14 , 15 ]. In another study, only 52 % of primary care physicians indicated having adequate knowledge to advise their patients on vision health [ 16 ].…”

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with regard to their disease: a cross-sectional study among Palestinians of the West Bank

“…Recent studies that were conducted to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of patients with T2DM highlighted the necessity of higher awareness among patients with regard to preventing, diagnosis, mitigating risk factors, and minimizing complications of the disease [ 15 – 18 ]. It has been argued that educating patients on their disease was an effective strategy to reduce complications of T2DM and achieve improved control over blood glucose [ 19 , 20 ].…”

“…Additionally, unfavorable attitudes were associated with poor control over blood glucose and incidence of complications [ 22 ]. Previous studies have shown differences in knowledge, attitude, and practice among patients with T2DM in primary and tertiary healthcare settings in Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, and India [ 3 , 15 – 18 ].…”