Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding diabetic dermopathy among physicians in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

CONTEXT: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is expanding at an epidemic rate. Diabetes and the prediabetes are associated with a number of skin manifestations which are seen in a minimum of 30% of diabetics as first sign or during the course of their illness. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Saudi Arabia that assess physicians’ knowledge, attitude and practice regarding this common problem. AIMS: To assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) about diabetic dermopathy among a representative sample of physicians in Saudi Arabia; and to identify determinants of good KAP. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted among physicians at university and governmental hospitals in Riyadh, KSA MATERIALS AND METHODS: 112 physicians from different specialties and experiences were interviewed using an English self-administered questionnaire. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 20, with appropriate statistical test. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: It included 112 physicians in which 43.8%, Family medicine, 31.3% endocrinologist/Internal Medicine, and 25.0% GPs/Interns. Physicians above 35 year-old, master/PhD holders, consultants, endocrinologist/Internal Medicine, and those in practice for more than 10 years scored the highest in the overall knowledge. However, only 47% were confident to diagnose diabetic dermopathy. Moreover, majority of physicians regardless of the specialty, had educated their patients, examined them for other lesions, and followed conservative protocols. As much as 74.3% of endocrinologists seek for dermatologists’ consultation. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians’ knowledge regarding diabetic dermopathy is suboptimal, this may impact quality of diabetes care.