Epilepsy: What do health-care professionals in Riyadh know? Ahmed Alaqeel a , Faris Alebdi a , Abdulrahman J. Sabbagh b,c, ⁎ a Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia b Department of Neurosurgery, National Neuroscience Institute, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia c King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia abstract article info Article history: Received 6 June 2013 Accepted 13 July 2013 Keywords: Epilepsy Awareness Health-care practitioner attitudes Perceptions of epilepsy Education Health Purpose: The objective of this study was to report on the knowledge of epilepsy, as well as attitudes and practices toward individuals with epilepsy, among health-care professionals in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A survey consisting of 23 questions pertaining to epilepsy awareness was distributed to health educa- tion workers (n = 51), nutritionists (n = 56), physicians (n = 265), dentists (n = 58), pharmacists (n = 41), nurses (n = 224), physiotherapists (n = 65), and fifth-year medical students (n = 62) in three tertiary hospi- tals in Riyadh. Results: Of the 822 respondents who completed the questionnaire, 100% had heard about epilepsy, and 92.6% would allow their children to interact with an individual who has epilepsy. However, 67% of respondents would not want their children to marry an individual with epilepsy, 97.9% of respondents believed that individ- uals with epilepsy should have the same employment opportunities as the general population, 10.5% believe that supernatural power is the cause of epilepsy, 67.2% did not know how to deal with an individual experiencing an epileptic episode, and 56% did not know that surgery was a treatment option for individuals with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia. Of the 822 respondents, 39% would not abide by a physician's advice not to operate a motor vehicle because of their illness, 91% of whom cited problems with the public transportation system as a reason for disregarding the doctor's advice. When asked if the participants had access to any information on how to deal with epilepsy during their professional training, 60.3% had access to such information during their graduate stud- ies. Ninety-eight percent of those with access to this information were physicians and health-care educators (p b 0.001). Physicians and health-care educators were significantly more aware of epilepsy than any of the other groups. Conclusion: The level of epilepsy awareness among health-care professionals in Riyadh needs improvement. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The prevalence of epilepsy is 6.54 per 1000 population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [1], and the incidence of epilepsy is sub- stantially greater in developing countries compared with developed countries [2]. Individuals with epilepsy experience socioeconomic problems that affect quality of life more than the condition itself [3,4]. False beliefs about epilepsy affect the social acceptance of individuals with the condition [5]. Studies investigating public awareness and atti- tudes toward epilepsy have been conducted in several countries includ- ing the United States (USA) [6], China [7], Austria [8], Italy [9], Turkey [10], Greece [11], New Zealand [12], Kuwait [13], and the United Arab Emirates [14]. A recent study conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia [15] found that the level of epilepsy awareness in the Saudi population needs improvement. The study revealed that 21.3% of respondents were not aware of any cause of epilepsy, 50.6% would not seek medical advice if one of their relatives had epilepsy, and 31.4% did not know how to deal with an individual experiencing an epileptic episode [15]. Another study from Saudi Arabia involving university-educated school teachers and undergraduate students [16] reported that ‘Jinn’, which are unseen creatures believed to exist in all major religions and have the power to possess humans and cause them harm, are still believed to be a cause of epilepsy in Saudi society. Health-care professionals' knowledge about epilepsy will affect their communication with individuals with the disorder and, in turn, affect the public perception of individuals with the condition. Physi- cians, nurses, and nonmedical health-care professionals in develop- ing countries play the primary role in delivering medical care for individuals with epilepsy [16,17]. Several reports have demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding epilepsy among health-care professionals [16,18–20]. For example, in Brazil, a recent study involving health-care professionals found that their knowledge about epilepsy needs im- provement. This lack of knowledge in some professional health-care Epilepsy & Behavior 29 (2013) 234–237 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Neurosurgery, National Neurosciences Institute, King Fahad Medical City, PO Box 59046, Riyadh 11525, Saudi Arabia. Fax: +966 12889999x1391. E-mail addresses: ajsabbagh@kfmc.med.sa, Abdulrahman.Sabbagh@gmail.com (A.J. Sabbagh). 1525-5050/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2013.07.009 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Epilepsy & Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/yebeh