Knowledge and attitudes of physicians toward forensic psychiatry in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of physicians of different specialties, including psychiatrists, regarding forensic psychiatry to determine whether further modification or training is needed in the psychiatry residency program. Methods:This cross-sectional study was carried out using a 3-page, 3-section questionnaire containing 21 questions disseminated randomly online via Google forms using social media platforms. The 482 participants were residents, specialists, and consultants of various specialties. The study was conducted between September 2020 and August 2021 in various tertiary hospitals across Saudi Arabia.Results: A total of 482 physicians were recruited. The most common age group was 25-35 years, comprising mostly Saudis (62.4%). Based on the results, "poor" and "good" knowledge of forensic psychiatry was identified in 89% and 11% of the Original Article physicians, while "negative" and "positive" attitudes were identified in 16.4% and 83.6% of the physicians. Conclusion:Although the perspective of physicians regarding forensic psychiatry was found to be positive, their knowledge of the topic seems to be lacking.

Drug information‐seeking behaviours of physicians, nurses and pharmacists: A systematic literature review

“…A possible reason is that pharmacists are seen as the drug experts and hence, other health care professionals seek DI from the pharmacists but not the other way round. This is evident from the articles which cited pharmacists as a DI source of physicians (Abou‐Auda, 2008; Hedegaard & Damkier, 2009; Lua et al, 2011; Murphy et al, 2006; Tumwikirize et al, 2008) and nurses (Hall et al, 2003; Murphy et al, 2006; Ndosi & Newell, 2010).…”

“…Lastly, it was noted that information services such as DI centres were less mentioned by the HCPs. Potential reasons cited by various articles are the lack of awareness by HCPs regarding its availability (Abou‐Auda, 2008), uncertainty of who can access these sources (Adibe, 2010) and the time‐consuming process to obtain a response (Adibe, 2010; Goodwin et al, 2007; Hennigen et al, 2009).…”