Abstract
Objectives: The increasing incidence of abdominal surgeries has increased the risk of potentially obstructive structures, such as bands or adhesions. Despite potentially fatal consequences, there is insufficient information available about bowel obstruction. The aim of this study to assess the awareness and attitude of the Saudi population about intestinal obstruction.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia from July 2017 to December 2017 and involved 2019 participants. Our electronic questionnaire was published online through social media; the collected data were translated back from Arabic to English, entered using Microsoft Excel 2016, and coded for seeking of analysis. Then, the data were verified and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version. 21).
Results: The awareness level of participants about intestinal obstruction was good (at least 7 of 13) in 57.2% of our cohort, and poor (less than 7 of 13) in 42.8%. The mean awareness level score was 7 +/- 2. Most(91.2%) of the participants believe that there are insufficient awareness programs regarding intestinal obstruction. Also, 87% of the participants have never completed a questionnaire similar to this study's questionnaire.
Conclusions: The awareness of intestinal obstruction inour study population was good. However, the participants believe there are insufficient programs to raise the awareness of this disease. We recommended enveloping more intestinal obstruction-focused educationalprogrammes in Saudi Arabia.