Evaluation of Knowledge about Epilepsy among Undergraduate Health Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Abstract Background Greater knowledge of undergraduate health students will provide quality care to patients with epilepsy. Most previous studies have targeted teachers, health care providers, and the general public. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge gaps of undergraduate health students on basic subjects of epilepsy, such as etiologies, symptoms, and treatment options. Methods Our study conducted a cross-sectional survey among undergraduate health students. We collected data using a descriptive information form. The chi-square test was employed to compare knowledge of seizure between demographic and academic variables. Results Of the total, 84.4% of students had read or heard about epilepsy. However, only 2.8% of students displayed good knowledge scores toward epilepsy. About 18.2 and 32% of students incorrectly identified that epilepsy could be due to possession by evil spirits and blood disorder, respectively. More than half of the students considered epilepsy to be nontreatable (52.1%) and a contagious disease (55.4%). Moreover, students in the advanced age group, medicine, and clinical years displayed significantly better knowledge scores than their peers (p < 0.05). All dental college students revealed poor scores in terms of knowledge about epilepsy's causes, symptoms, and treatment. Conclusion Our findings concluded that most undergraduate health students demonstrated poor knowledge scores regarding epilepsy. Notably, students studying in dental college and preclinical years had a lower understanding of epilepsy than their peers. This finding suggests that introducing comprehensive epilepsy education in all health-related courses could improve patient care.