Epilepsy first aid awareness among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.
SAGE Open Med
; 12: 20503121241247458, 2024.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38711467
ABSTRACT
Objectives:
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting more than 50 million human lives of all ages, its social, physical and psychological implications is of huge concern. The current study and as a continuation of epilepsy knowledge assessment projects conducted by our research team is aimed to assess the knowledge of healthcare workers regarding epilepsy first aid in Saudi Arabia.Methods:
A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out from 2020 to 2021.Results:
During the study period, 272 healthcare workers were recruited; participants were males and females from different nationalities in various Saudi Arabian cities, possess diverse qualifications, and belong to several healthcare-related professions. The question, "Did you witness an epileptic seizure"? was answered as "Yes" by 42% of participants, and in response to the question "If you know that this patient struggles during seizure attacks," 58% of respondents stated that they would not call an ambulance. Moreover, the question "Put something in his/her mouth to prevent tongue biting" was incorrectly answered as "Yes" by 42% of respondents, and the question "Try to catch him/her and stop his/her movement" in order to control the attack was answered "Yes" by 21% of respondents. Furthermore, almost 90% of healthcare participants do not know how to use the Vagus Nerve Stimulation device. The mean knowledge score among participants was 23.7; sex, as well as type of higher qualification obtained, was found to be significantly associated with the score of knowledge.Conclusion:
Knowledge toward epilepsy and epilepsy first aid among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia was found fragile. Further research is appreciated to support the current findings.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
SAGE Open Med
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Saudi Arabia
Country of publication:
United kingdom