Knowledge, perception and attitudes toward epilepsy among medical students at King Abdulaziz University

Introduction: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by repetitive seizures which could occur in different forms depending on the site of brain disturbance. It has both psychological as well as social effects resulting in stigmatization and isolation of epileptic patients. Even though medical students are considered a role model of well-educated communities, previous studies showed that students lack the satisfactory knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy, so it is important to evaluate the concept of epilepsy and to measure awareness and attitudes toward epileptic patients among medical students of King Abdulaziz University. The aim of this study is to determine knowledge, perception and attitudes toward epilepsy among medical students at King Abdulaziz University. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted on 455 medical students from Faculty of medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Western region) through a web-based survey in July 2018. The survey is composed of many sections (demographic variables, knowledge, attitudes and practices toward epilepsy). The survey was applied as a Google form and the data were analyzed by IBM-SPSS for Windows, version 21.0. The chi-square test of independence was used for data analysis. Results: Four hundred thirty-six out of 455 students (98.5%) were aware about epilepsy. However, the level of knowledge varies depending on the educational level of these students, because 88.5% of the students responded that brain injury is the most common cause and 57.3% said it is a genetic disease, while 3.7% stated that it was due to evil spirit. As a treatment method, medication and God's help were chosen by 95.8% and 57.8%, respectively. Objection to marry an epileptic patient was the most common negative attitude toward epileptics among the participants. Nonetheless, the overall attitude was found to be positive. Conclusion: King Abdulaziz University medical students have had some misunderstandings regarding causes, manifestations and treatment of epilepsy which could affect their attitudes toward epileptic individuals. Educational programs which include more clinical exposure to such common diseases are required to improve students' impressions of these diseases.