The knowledge attitude and practice regarding diabetes and diabetic retinopathy among the final year medical students of King Faisal University Medical College of Al Hasa region of Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional survey.

PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge attitude and practice of the final year medical students of king faisal university medical college towards diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross sectional survey was conducted in King Faisal university Medical college of Al Hasa province of Saudi Arabia in May 2012. The student population was the Final Year students of MBBS. All 96 students of final year MBBS were included in this study. The data were collected by means of filling up of pre-tested specially designed questionnaires focused on Knowledge, Attitude and practice towards Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic retinopathy. The answers were scored by assigning marks. A SPSS 17 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS The mean of overall KAP score (±SD) for all the respondents were 64.75 ± 11.17 (Maximum 100). Male students scored better than the females students (65.30, P = 0.02 vs. 64.18, P = 0.02). The male student scored better in the knowledge (35.83 vs. 34.05, P = 0.018) and practice (13.63 vs. 12.95, P = 0.045) category while the attitude score of female student (17.16 vs. 15.83, P = 0 .020) was significantly higher than the male students. The main weakness of knowledge was on epidemiology of Diabetes Mellitus (DM), the follow up of the diabetic patient for the screening of diabetic retinopathy and the relation of duration of diabetes with the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy. Many students believed that diabetes is more prevalent among the uneducated people. Ninety percent students did not know the proper angle of insulin injection. CONCLUSION This survey highlights some of the lacuna in the teaching system of the medical students and identified the need for improvement in their knowledge, attitude and practices for treating the patients with diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. This can be done by incorporating special syllabus focusing on diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in their teaching programme.