Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common health issue with high prevalence rate throughout the world. One of the most common complication of DM is diabetic retinopathy (DR). It is one of the most common cause of blindness in patients with DM. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of medical students in Al Qassim University about DM and DR.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among medical students. Questionnaire was composed of the basic demographic data, assessment of the knowledge and attitude regarding DM and DR. Data were gathered and coded in MS Excel and all statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Packages for Software Sciences version 21.
Results: A total of 306 medical students were recruited (49.3% males vs. 50.7% females). Poor knowledge was detected among 52.3% of medical students (mean score: 2.34; SD = 1.43, out of 5 points), while the rest had good knowledge (47.7%). With regards to the attitude, 69.3% had positive attitude, while 30.7% were negative. Age group in years, academic year level, source(s) of DM and DR information, and attended courses related to DM and DR were the factors associated with both knowledge and attitude.
Conclusion: While an optimistic attitude was observed among medical students with regards to DM and DR, their knowledge about them was deemed insufficient. Better outlook regarding DM and DR can be observed among senior students.
Key words: Knowledge, attitude, practice, diabetes, diabetic retinopathy
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