Knowledge and diagnostic confidence of general practitioners in managing idiopathic intracranial hypertension: A nationwide survey from the Northern regions of Oman

IF 1.9 4区医学 Q3 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Journal of Clinical Neuroscience Pub Date : 2025-02-05 DOI:10.1016/j.jocn.2025.111080

Asma AlHosni , Younis Al-Mufargi , Manar AL’ Abdulsalam , Al-Zahraa Al-Arafati , Abdullah Al Sawafi , Talal Alkhawaldi , Tariq Al-Saadi

{"title":"Knowledge and diagnostic confidence of general practitioners in managing idiopathic intracranial hypertension: A nationwide survey from the Northern regions of Oman","authors":"Asma AlHosni , Younis Al-Mufargi , Manar AL’ Abdulsalam , Al-Zahraa Al-Arafati , Abdullah Al Sawafi , Talal Alkhawaldi , Tariq Al-Saadi","doi":"10.1016/j.jocn.2025.111080","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a rare but potentially vision-threatening condition, often underrecognized in primary care settings. Timely diagnosis and effective management are critical to prevent complications, yet knowledge gaps among general practitioners (GPs) may hinder optimal care. This study assessed the knowledge and diagnostic confidence of GPs in Oman regarding IIH.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 150 GPs in the Al Batinah region and Muscat. The survey evaluated familiarity with IIH, recognition of clinical symptoms, diagnostic practices, and confidence in managing the condition. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and ordinal regression analyses were used to assess associations between knowledge levels, professional background, and confidence in IIH management.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>While 95.3 % of respondents accurately defined IIH, only 20.7 % could identify its symptoms, and 11.3 % were aware of appropriate treatment options. Significant associations were found between higher knowledge scores and international medical training (p = 0.001), as well as internship location (p = 0.001). Confidence in diagnosing IIH was strongly associated with clinical exposure to IIH patients (p < 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The study highlights critical knowledge gaps and low diagnostic confidence among GPs in Oman regarding IIH, particularly in recognizing symptoms and management strategies. Findings suggest that international training and clinical exposure enhance IIH knowledge and confidence, underscoring the need for targeted educational interventions to improve diagnosis and patient outcomes</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15487,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Neuroscience","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 111080"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Clinical Neuroscience","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967586825000529","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a rare but potentially vision-threatening condition, often underrecognized in primary care settings. Timely diagnosis and effective management are critical to prevent complications, yet knowledge gaps among general practitioners (GPs) may hinder optimal care. This study assessed the knowledge and diagnostic confidence of GPs in Oman regarding IIH.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 150 GPs in the Al Batinah region and Muscat. The survey evaluated familiarity with IIH, recognition of clinical symptoms, diagnostic practices, and confidence in managing the condition. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and ordinal regression analyses were used to assess associations between knowledge levels, professional background, and confidence in IIH management.

Results

While 95.3 % of respondents accurately defined IIH, only 20.7 % could identify its symptoms, and 11.3 % were aware of appropriate treatment options. Significant associations were found between higher knowledge scores and international medical training (p = 0.001), as well as internship location (p = 0.001). Confidence in diagnosing IIH was strongly associated with clinical exposure to IIH patients (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The study highlights critical knowledge gaps and low diagnostic confidence among GPs in Oman regarding IIH, particularly in recognizing symptoms and management strategies. Findings suggest that international training and clinical exposure enhance IIH knowledge and confidence, underscoring the need for targeted educational interventions to improve diagnosis and patient outcomes

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

0.00%

发文量

402

审稿时长

40 days

期刊介绍： This International journal, Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, publishes articles on clinical neurosurgery and neurology and the related neurosciences such as neuro-pathology, neuro-radiology, neuro-ophthalmology and neuro-physiology. The journal has a broad International perspective, and emphasises the advances occurring in Asia, the Pacific Rim region, Europe and North America. The Journal acts as a focus for publication of major clinical and laboratory research, as well as publishing solicited manuscripts on specific subjects from experts, case reports and other information of interest to clinicians working in the clinical neurosciences.