KNOWLEDGE OF SURGICAL CARE AMONG GENERAL POPULATION IN SAUDI ARABIA

Bashaer Dabsan Al Baqami*, Shayma Abdulwasea Asrar, Rawan Wael Alalayan, Mona Abdullah Alharbi, Amani Abdullah Alharbi, Khadija Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Ibtihal Mohamed Aldrees, Sakinah Matuq Alaithan, Alaa Matuq Alaithan

ABSTRACT

Introduction: In Saudi Arabia, the overall number of surgical interventions performed in 2013 was 942609. There are no adequate information about knowledge and attitudes towards surgical care in Saudi community. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of surgical care among general population in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study was a cross sectional study among general population conducted through email survey. The size of the sample selected in this study was 384 participants. The questionnaire consisted of three sections, personal information section, and two others sections to explore knowledge and attitudes towards surgical care. Results: About 88% of the respondents knew the definition of surgery, however less than half of them knew the routine steps of surgical care starting from admission until discharge. About 63% of them knew that they should be informed about the diagnosis and indications of the surgery, while only 38.2% knew that they must be informed about the steps of the surgery before the operation. About 79% of the respondents felt that the theater room is a scary place, and about 82% always link the surgery to the pain and suffer. The fear of surgery is significantly more common among females, young people, and people with low level of education. Conclusion: In Saudi Arabia, there is a good level of knowledge about surgery as general, however there is low level of knowledge about the detailed steps of the surgery. There are negative attitudes and high level of fear towards surgery in Saudi population

Keywords: Knowledge, Attitudes, Surgery, Theater, Anesthesia.