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Aldharman SS, Munhish FA, Alabssi HA, Alamer MA, Althunayyan FA, Halawi MH, Elfaham SH, Alsinani TA, Alnaaim SA. Assessment of Knowledge and Perception Regarding Deep Brain Stimulation Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia. Cureus 2023; 15:e41540. [PMID: 37559853 PMCID: PMC10407967 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.41540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical procedure approved for treating psychiatric and movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD), essential tremor, dystonia, and other neurological conditions. The widespread use of DBS may not be reflected in the medical education curricula in Saudi universities, thus jeopardizing future patients' access to it. This study aims to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of medical students toward DBS as a therapeutic option. METHOD A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted. The survey was distributed on online platforms to acquire responses from different regions of Saudi Arabia. The target population was medical students in the preclinical and clinical phases of medical education from different regions of Saudi Arabia. RESULTS A total of 1075 medical students from various medical schools in Saudi Arabia were included. More than half of the students aged 21 to 23 (50.1%) were females (63.2%). More than half of the students have correctly recognized DBS as a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment (59.7%). Only 20.1% of the students stated that they received adequate education/training about DBS. About 53.8% of the students had self-rated their knowledge as poor, whereas 20.6% had rated their knowledge as good. A negative bias was more observed among the older students and students with a family history of DBS treatment. Half of the participants (54.1%) indicated that DBS is associated with severe adverse effects. A significant association between the level of knowledge about DBS and the academic level was observed. CONCLUSION Almost half of the medical students had poor knowledge and unfavorable attitude toward DBS in Saudi Arabia. The current medical curricula are incommensurable with the clinical implications of DBS, which may deny future patients from such an effective therapeutic option. We recommend incorporating DBS teaching sessions to enhance future physicians' awareness and understanding of the benefits of this intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah S Aldharman
- College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, SAU
| | | | - Haila A Alabssi
- College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, SAU
| | | | | | | | - Shireen H Elfaham
- College of Medicine, Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies, Jeddah, SAU
| | | | - Saud A Alnaaim
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf, SAU
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Khalil H, Chahine LM, Siddiqui J, Salari M, El-Jaafary S, Aldaajani Z, Abu Al-Melh M, Mohammad TM, Abu Snineh M, Syed NA, Bhatt M, Habib MA, Habahbeh M, Tabbal SD, Jeon B, Bajwa JA. Parkinson's Disease in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia: Consensus from the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Task Force for the Middle East. JOURNAL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE 2020; 10:729-741. [PMID: 32176653 PMCID: PMC8203232 DOI: 10.3233/jpd-191751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the regional needs and available healthcare resources to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) is essential to plan appropriate future priorities. The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) Task Force for the Middle East was established to raise awareness and promote education across the region on PD and other movement disorders. Broadly, the task force encompasses the countries of the Middle East but has included North Africa and South Asia as well (MENASA). OBJECTIVE To create a list of needs and priorities in the advancement of PD in MENASA countries based on consensuses generated by the MDS task force for the Middle East. METHODS A Strengths Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted by the task force members to generate consensus about PD care this region. RESULTS Eight overarching principles emerged for the consensus statement on current needs: more movement disorders specialists, multidisciplinary care, accurate epidemiologic data, educational programs, availability of drugs, and availability of more advanced therapy, enhanced health care resources and infrastructure, and greater levels of awareness within the general population and among health care professionals. CONCLUSION This pilot study sheds light on unmet needs for providing care to people with PD in the MENASA region. These data offer directions on priorities to increase awareness of PD, to develop better infrastructure for research and management of PD, to foster healthcare policy discussions for PD and to provide educational opportunities within these countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanan Khalil
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Lana M. Chahine
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Junaid Siddiqui
- Department of Neurology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Mehri Salari
- Department of Neurology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Zakiyah Aldaajani
- Neurology Unit, King Fahad Medical Military Complex, Dahran, Saudi Arabia
| | | | | | | | | | - Mohit Bhatt
- Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Mohammad Ahsan Habib
- Department of Neurology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Majed Habahbeh
- Department of Medicine, Neurology Section, King Hussein Medical Centre, Amman, Jordan
| | - Samer D. Tabbal
- Department of Neurology, Parkinson & Movement Disorders Program, American University of Beirut Medical Centre, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Beomseok Jeon
- Department of Neurology, Movement Disorders Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jawad A. Bajwa
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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