AUTHOR=Syed Wajid , Samarkandi Osama A. , Alsadoun Ahmed , Harbi Mohammad K. Al , Al-Rawi Mahmood Basil A. 

TITLE=Evaluation of clinical knowledge and perceptions about the development of thyroid cancer—An observational study of healthcare undergraduates in Saudi Arabia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.912424

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.912424

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background and objective: In the health-care context, health-care personnel are on the 'front lines' and available to help patients according to their requirements. However, having sufficient knowledge of many elements of diseases before to graduation may have a good impact on clinical practices later in one's career. As a result, the purpose of this study was to assess the clinical knowledge and perceptions of health-care students in Saudi Arabia about acquiring thyroid cancer(TC).
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in King Saud University from August 2021 to November 2021, using a validated self-reporting online survey. The data collection was carried out among senior health care students, including pharmacy, nursing and medical students of both genders, who were Arabic speakers. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26 for Windows (SPSS). 
Results: There were 141 healthcare students who responded, with 46.8% (n=66) being pharmacy students, 28.4% (n = 40) nursing students, and 24.8 percent (n = 35) being medical students. Males made up the majority of them (52.5%). Lump or swelling in the neck was described as the most common early indicator of TC by 54.6% (n=77), followed by difficulty swallowing 34.04%(n=48), and pain in the neck 24.8% (n=35). Females accounted for 44.7%(n=63) of those with thyroid dysfunction, according to the study. More than half of the participants, 55.3%(n=78), said they knew a lot about TC. The knowledge score differed significantly by gender; females (60.3%) (n=47) were more informed than males (30.7%) (n=31) (p=0.049).
Conclusion: This study depicts that half of the health care students knowledgeable about TC had positive perceptions about the causes of diseases. Furthermore, we also recommend that awareness programs need to be arranged by the university officials to overcome the knowledge gap.