PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ahmed H. Saleem
AU  - Faisal A. Al Rashed
AU  - Ghassan A. Alkharboush
AU  - Othman M. Almazyed
AU  - Awad H. Olaish
AU  - Aljohara S. Almeneessier
AU  - Ahmed S. BaHammam
TI  - Primary care physicians’ knowledge of sleep medicine and barriers to transfer of patients with sleep disorders
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2017.5.17936
DP  - 2017 May 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 553--559
VI  - 38
IP  - 5
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/38/5/553.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/38/5/553.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2017 May 01; 38
AB  - Objectives: To assess primary care physicians’ (PCPs) knowledge and attitudes toward sleep disorders.Methods: In this cross-sectional quantitative study, we surveyed 88 primary care centers under the Ministry of Health during 2015 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using a combination of pre-designed validated questionnaires. Knowledge was assessed using the Assessment of Sleep Knowledge in Medical Education (ASKME) questionnaire, and attitude was assessed using a pre-designed survey. For numerical variables, t-test was used, and for categorical variables, Chi-square test was used.Results: Data from 223 PCPs (males 50.2%) were analyzed. Among the participants, 44 (19.9%) did not know that sleep medicine is a distinct medical specialty, and 24 (10.9%) felt that sleep disorders are uncommon medical problems based on their daily practice. Only 87 (39%) of physicians stated that they referred patients with sleep disorders to specialized medical centers for further management. The mean score of the ASKME questionnaire was 14.4 ± 4 out of 30 (48%). The majority of physicians (78.5%) obtained a score between 11 and 20. Score results were not related to gender or years of practice.Conclusion: Primary care physicians’ have a low level of awareness and poor knowledge of sleep medicine and sleep disorders.