Author(s):
Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge of Alzheimer's disease among medical students and healthcare providers in Sudan.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted in Sudan from July to December 2020, we used Google forms to collect data from 212 medical students and healthcare providers using Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). ADKS is a widely used validated instrument that measures what people know about Alzheimer's disease using a 30-item true/false questionnaire across seven critical knowledge domains: Risk factors, symptoms, assessment and diagnosis, disease trajectory, life impact, treatment, and management, and caregiving.
Results: Our studied population consisted of doctors (n=106), medical students (n=23), Nursing staff (n=09), and other hospital staff (n=74). 76.9% were females. When rating their knowledge from 0 to 10, our participants' mean value was 5.3 ± 2.1. Regarding ADKS, the mean knowledge score (out of 30) is 20.6 ± 2.8. Regarding ADKS domains, the best average scores were treatment and management 86.8%, followed by life impact 78.3%, assessment, and diagnosis 72.4%, course 71.5%, symptoms 62.7%, caregiving 59.2%, and risk factors 59%. We did not detect any significant association between the average overall score, occupation, source of information, or having a relative with Alzheimer's disease.
Conclusion: Specific knowledge deficits were observed in domains focusing on risk factors, symptoms, and caregiving for Alzheimer's disease.
