Knowledge and Awareness of Rare Diseases Among Healthcare Professionals in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

continuing education genetic literacy genetics genomics health literacy medical education rare diseases

Journal

Cureus
ISSN: 2168-8184
Titre abrégé: Cureus
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101596737

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
Oct 2023
Historique:
accepted: 25 10 2023
medline: 29 11 2023
pubmed: 29 11 2023
entrez: 29 11 2023
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Aim  Recent studies highlighted that lack of knowledge on rare diseases is a problem that requires attention. This study aims to assess healthcare professionals' general awareness and knowledge of rare diseases in a tertiary hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Method  The study employed a cross-sectional design, utilizing a survey questionnaire derived from the most recent literature. The survey encompassed socio-demographic factors and quiz-based questions that were previously created by Domaradzi and Walkowiak to assess knowledge and awareness of rare diseases. To ensure convenience and accessibility, the survey was made available in both Arabic and English languages. Results  Of a total of 333 responses, 25.2% were physicians, 53.8% were nurses, and 21.0% were allied health personnel. The majority of participants (87.4%) were aware of and had heard the term "rare diseases" prior to this survey. Participants were able to recognize what age group is frequently affected by rare diseases (p=0.023) and what the common cause of rare diseases worldwide is (p<0.001). Overall scores showed that only four participants answered all questions correctly, testing their knowledge of rare diseases. There was a weak correlation between self-declared knowledge and the overall score achieved (r=0.190; p<0.001), which indicates that the population's self-declared knowledge did not portray their actual knowledge of rare diseases.  Conclusion  This study highlights the need for improved knowledge of rare diseases among healthcare professionals, which aligns with the global knowledge landscape. To bridge the knowledge gap, we recommend action plans to ensure that healthcare professionals have rich knowledge of rare diseases and further improve patient care. Additionally, enhancing advocacy efforts is crucial to ensure optimal local and global patient care services.

Identifiants

pubmed: 38022232
doi: 10.7759/cureus.47676
pmc: PMC10673629
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

e47676

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2023, Sinan et al.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Auteurs

Israa Sinan (I)

Research and Development, King Hamad University Hospital, Al Muharraq, BHR.
Research and Development, Canadore College, North Bay, CAN.

Maha Mihdawi (M)

Nursing Research, King Hamad University Hospital, Al Muharraq, BHR.

A Rahman Farahat (AR)

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Hamad University Hospital, Al Muharraq, BHR.

Mariam Fida (M)

Medical Genetics, Bahrain Oncology Centre, King Hamad University Hospital, Al Muharraq, BHR.

Classifications MeSH