CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, BELIEFS, AND PERCEPTIONS AMONG FAMILY MEDICINE TRAINEES, AL KHOBAR, SAUDI ARABIA, 2016

Dawood Adnan Al Nasser; Elham Ahmad Al Janahi; Olfat Saleh Janbi

Volume : VI, Issue : V, May - 2017

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, BELIEFS, AND PERCEPTIONS AMONG FAMILY MEDICINE TRAINEES, AL KHOBAR, SAUDI ARABIA, 2016

Dawood Adnan Al Nasser, Elham Ahmad Al Janahi, Olfat Saleh Janbi

Abstract :

Background : Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) places considerable burdens on patients and society. This study assesses family physicians� awareness of CFS. Methods: Between November 11 and December 29, 2016, a cross–sectional study was performed with trainees of the Ministry of Health Family Medicine Post–Graduate Program in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. All trainees were invited to participate through a validated, piloted internet–based questionnaire. Results: Seventy trainees completed the 19–item questionnaire (response rate=95.89%). The construct validity achieved an �excellent� rating, and the reliability had a Cronbach�s alpha of 0.61. The mean scores were as follows: Knowledge=81%, Perception=78.34%, Attitude=69.77%, Belief=77.71%, and Awareness=72.22%. Four (5.7%) trainees had diagnosed CFS. Seventeen trainees (24.3%) disagreed that CFS was a distinct disease, 23 (32.8%) agreed, and 30 (42.9%) were undecided. The female trainees had higher Perception scores than the males (p=0.019). Conclusions: The overall Awareness score was �moderate�, whereas the lowest score was found for Attitude, which involves the conjoining of CFS and depression by the physicians. The trainees were unprepared to diagnose CFS; even trainees who had diagnosed CFS previously did not have a high level of awareness.