Knowledge towards Multiple Sclerosis among Family Medicine Residents in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia

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Background: Early identification and management of multiple sclerosis (MS) related symptoms and comorbidities by physicians can lead to better outcomes, improved quality of life, and reduced disease activity. Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge towards multiple sclerosis among family medicine residents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among a representative sample Family Medicine residents enrolled in the joint program of Family Medicine in Makkah, 2020. Self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. It includes two main parts; personal characteristics of the participants and assessment of their knowledge about different aspects of MS through 30 multiple choice questions. Results: A total of 116 Family Medicine residents participated in this study. Most of them (70.7%) aged between 26 and 30 years. Equally distributed regarding gender. History of attending conference about multiple sclerosis or neurological disorder was reported by 13.8% of the participants. Overall, 56.9% of family Medicine residents expressed good level of knowledge regarding MS. Female resident physicians were more knowledgeable about MS than males (69% vs. 44.8%), p=0.009. Majority (83.3%) of PGY4 resident physicians compared to only 47.2% and 47.4% of PGY3 and PGY2 resident physicians, respectively had good level of knowledge, p=0.040. Conclusion: A considerable percentage of family Medicine residents in Makkah city, Saudi Arabia expressed poor level of knowledge regarding all aspects of multiple sclerosis; particularly males. The highest level of knowledge was observed regarding treatment of MS, followed by complications while the lowest level was reported regarding symptoms.