PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sarah F. Alsukait
AU  - Najd A. Alshamlan
AU  - Zeina Z. Alhalees
AU  - Sami N. Alsuwaidan
AU  - Abdulmajeed M. Alajlan
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.