Utilizing Obstructive Sleep Apnea Knowledge and Attitude Questionnaire and Investigating Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Current Medical Undergraduates’ Concept

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the most common sleep disorders in the world, but despite this, it is underdiagnosed and untreated. Given that sleep problems may be modifiable risk factors for adverse health outcomes, this study aimed to assess Saudi medical students’ perception toward OSA. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing a self-administered OSA Knowledge and Attitude questionnaire among medical students from seven universities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between July 2022 and November 2022. Results: A total of 346 participants were included. 47.7% were male. The knowledge score ranged from 0 to 17 with an average knowledge score of 7.59 ± 3.68, and the knowledge score was normally distributed. Respondents who did not know the answer were 50% or greater in nine questions. None of the included respondents answered all questions correctly. The percentage of correct answers ranged from 7.8% to 66.8%. Two-thirds of the respondents knew that most OSA patients snore and overnight sleep study is the gold standard to diagnose OSA, while only 7.8% knew that laser-assisted uvuloplasty is an appropriate treatment for severe OSA. Gender, grade point average, and university showed no significant difference in terms of knowledge. Conclusion: The knowledge of medical students at Riyadh universities regarding the diagnosis and treatment of OSA was away from optimal. The reported lack of understanding of OSA may contribute to the underdiagnosis of this illness, which is becoming more common.