PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Saleem, Ahmed H.
AU  - Al Rashed, Faisal A.
AU  - Alkharboush, Ghassan A.
AU  - Almazyed, Othman M.
AU  - Olaish, Awad H.
AU  - Almeneessier, Aljohara S.
AU  - BaHammam, Ahmed S.
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.