title: Patient's perspective on epilepsy: self-knowledge among Omanis.
abstract: Improving patients' knowledge has been suggested to improve their symptoms and prognosis. Very little is known about epileptic patient's knowledge of their illness in cross-cultural settings. This pilot study investigated what Omani patients know about their disorder. Patients attending a tertiary hospital completed a structured knowledge questionnaire to elicit information pertaining to aetiology, safety, compliance with medication regimes, legal and employment issues concerning epilepsy.Although correctly endorsing issues related to their medication, this cross-cultural sample was found to have limited knowledge about their condition. In particular, most patients were unable to give accurate indications of epilepsy, neither were they able to give correct responses to questions pertaining to safety and compliance. There is a need for improving patient's knowledge. As with other chronic disorders, people with epilepsy in Oman should receive systematic health education about how to manage the condition most effectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioural Medicine and Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Adawi
authors.forename: Hamoud
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Salmy
authors.forename: Roger G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Naamani
authors.forename: Subhashini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prabhakar
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deleu
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moosa
authors.forename: Atsu S S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Dorvlo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009850:Oman; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires