PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Alsukait, Sarah F. AU - Alshamlan, Najd A. AU - Alhalees, Zeina Z. AU - Alsuwaidan, Sami N. AU - Alajlan, Abdulmajeed M. TI - Topical corticosteroids knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary care physicians AID - 10.15537/smj.2017.6.17586 DP - 2017 Jun 01 TA - Saudi Medical Journal PG - 662--665 VI - 38 IP - 6 4099 - http://smj.org.sa/content/38/6/662.short 4100 - http://smj.org.sa/content/38/6/662.full SO - Saudi Med J2017 Jun 01; 38 AB - Objectives: To assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary care physicians (PCPs) toward topical corticosteroids (TCs).Methods: A cross-sectional, 53-item questionnaire based study on TCs was conducted among PCPs in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January and March 2015. A maximum score of 30 was calculated for the knowledge portion.Results: Out of 420 PCPs, 336 responded (80%). Most participants (89.6%) reported prescribing TCs. The mean knowledge score was 17.14 (SD=5.48). Only 39% PCPs correctly identified that there are 7 or 4 TCs potency groups (2 different classification systems). The MBBS/MD and diploma-certified physicians scored lower than board-qualified PCPs (p<0.05). Family medicine physicians scored higher than general practitioners (GPs) (p<0.05). Hospital-based PCPs scored better than private practice PCPs (p<0.05). Moreover, those who felt somewhat comfortable (32.5%) in treating dermatology patients were more knowledgeable (p<0.05). Lastly, 76.5% of physicians were interested in attending courses on dermatologic therapies.Conclusion: Knowledge of TCs among PCPs was inadequate. Targeted educational interventions delivered by dermatologists are recommended.