Abstract
Objectives: Physicians have poor knowledge of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Inadequate exposure to PAD in medical school curricula may by a contributing factor. The objective of this study was to explore the awareness and knowledge of PAD among medical students.
Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study using an interview-based survey of the medical students in the college of medicine of King Saud University Riyadh, KSA.
Results: Of 350 students, 244 students agreed that they had some knowledge about PAD. More students in their clinical years (3-5) had heard about PAD compared to students in their basic science years (1-2; 76.5% versus 65.4%, respectively); however, the overall scores were low for both groups for recognition of PAD symptoms (mean scores, 2.83 out of 7 for students in years 3-5 versus 1.81 for students in years 1-2; p < 0.001). The scores of the knowledge of risk factors were 4.86 and 2.77 out of 7 for students in years 3-5 and 1-2, respectively (p < 0.001); the scores of preventive measures were 4.28 and 3.13 out of 6 for students in years 3-5 and 1-2 years, respectively (p < 0.001); and the scores of treatments and complications were 4.41 and 3.57 out of 6 for students in years 3-5 and 1-2 years, respectively (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: This study has identified an alarmingly low level of PAD knowledge among medical students. Interventions are needed to address this gap in medical schools' curricula to improve care for patients with PAD in future doctors.