title: Epilepsy: What do health-care professionals in Riyadh know?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to report on the knowledge of epilepsy, as well as attitudes and practices toward individuals with epilepsy, among health-care professionals in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey consisting of 23 questions pertaining to epilepsy awareness was distributed to health education workers (n=51), nutritionists (n=56), physicians (n=265), dentists (n=58), pharmacists (n=41), nurses (n=224), physiotherapists (n=65), and fifth-year medical students (n=62) in three tertiary hospitals in Riyadh.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 822 respondents who completed the questionnaire, 100% had heard about epilepsy, and 92.6% would allow their children to interact with an individual who has epilepsy. However, 67% of respondents would not want their children to marry an individual with epilepsy, 97.9% of respondents believed that individuals with epilepsy should have the same employment opportunities as the general population, 10.5% believe that supernatural power is the cause of epilepsy, 67.2% did not know how to deal with an individual experiencing an epileptic episode, and 56% did not know that surgery was a treatment option for individuals with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia. Of the 822 respondents, 39% would not abide by a physician's advice not to operate a motor vehicle because of their illness, 91% of whom cited problems with the public transportation system as a reason for disregarding the doctor's advice. When asked if the participants had access to any information on how to deal with epilepsy during their professional training, 60.3% had access to such information during their graduate studies. Ninety-eight percent of those with access to this information were physicians and health-care educators (p<0.001). Physicians and health-care educators were significantly more aware of epilepsy than any of the other groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The level of epilepsy awareness among health-care professionals in Riyadh needs improvement.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alaqeel
authors.forename: Faris
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alebdi
authors.forename: Abdulrahman J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sabbagh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001364:Awareness; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Awareness; Education; Epilepsy; Health; Health-care practitioner attitudes; Perceptions of epilepsy