Knowledge and practice of depression management among primary healthcare physicians

BACKGROUND: Depression is a mood disease that affects the energy, behavior, and mood of individuals. Depression is associated with an increased risk of chronic disease. Primary healthcare physicians play an important role in the diagnosis and management of depression. We aim to determine the knowledge of primary healthcare physicians on depression. METHODS: This is an observational cross-sectional study that was conducted on primary healthcare physicians using a structured validated questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 22(nd) edition. RESULTS: This study included 235 primary healthcare physicians, and the mean ± standard deviation of age was 29 ± 3 years. Males were predominant in the study (62%), and the large majority were residents (94.9%). There were 79.5%, 91.5%, and 27.8% who had good knowledge, a positive attitude, and a good practice, respectively. There was no factor found to affect the knowledge and attitude, whereas only the position of participants was significantly associated with the level of practice (P = 0.027). CONCLUSION: There were good knowledge and a positive attitude of primary healthcare physicians regarding depression; however, their practice was poor.