Knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy among medical students and internship doctors: a multinational cross-sectional study in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Libya.
9 affiliations
- 1Department of Histology and Clinical Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kalamoon, Deir Atiyah, Syria. [email protected].
- 2Faculty of Medicine, University of Kalamoon, Deir Atiyah, Syria.
- 3Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Kalamoon, Deir Atiyah, Syria.
- 4Faculty of Medicine, Alhawash Private University, Homs, Syria.
- 5Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
- 6Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya.
- 7Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan.
- 8Faculty of Medicine, An Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
- 9Department of Ophthalmology, Al-Mouwasat University Hospital, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria.
Abstract
Background
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by sudden abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. More than three-quarters of people with epilepsy live in developing countries, where the disorder continues to pose a major public health challenge. There are also various causes of this disease, which may include tumors, infections, genetic factors, or traumas.Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 939 medical trainees from public and private universities in four Arab countries. A convenience sampling method was used, and participants were recruited voluntarily through an online questionnaire distributed via social media platforms and paper-based questionnaires administered within medical faculties. The questionnaire consisted of several sections, including demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to epilepsy.Results
Eighty-seven point eight percent of females knew that epilepsy can occur at any age, which was significantly higher than 82.5% of males (p-value = 0.033). Furthermore, 66.9% of private university students knew about simple partial seizures while only 54.3% from public universities knew about it (p-value < 0.001). Among clinical students, 72.0% reported knowledge of simple partial seizures, compared to 31.4% among pre-clinical students (p-value < 0.001). Recognition of brain surgery as an appropriate treatment method was reported by 29.9% of students aged 21-22 years, compared to only 13.0% among those aged ≥ 25 years (p-value < 0.001).Conclusion
The findings indicate a generally favorable level of awareness and knowledge of epilepsy among medical students. However, educational gaps regarding epilepsy treatment and persistence of misconceptions emphasize the importance of revising curricula and establishing comprehensive, advanced training programs.
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BibTeX
@article{hanifa2026knowledge,
title = {{Knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy among medical students and internship doctors: a multinational cross-sectional study in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Libya.}},
author = {Hamdah Hanifa and Amar Haj Hussin Shehadah and Feras Hamesh and Lujain Alzoubi and Carolin Maksoud and Leen Alfrra and Maya Alzoubi and Fadiah Albaroudi and Batoul Aladib and Nirmin Bachlah and Marwa Hujk and Jamal Alkhatib and Maen Alshak and Yihea Mohammad Al-Mashaqbah and Merei Assad and Tarek Farem and Ekram Hassan Hasanin and Raghad Gharaibeh and Abdelrahman Abuali and Mohammad Ghanem and Mohammad Alyahya},
journal = {BMC medical education},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12909-026-09939-5},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902232},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy among medical students and internship doctors: a multinational cross-sectional study in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Libya.
AU - Hamdah Hanifa
AU - Amar Haj Hussin Shehadah
AU - Feras Hamesh
AU - Lujain Alzoubi
AU - Carolin Maksoud
AU - Leen Alfrra
AU - Maya Alzoubi
AU - Fadiah Albaroudi
AU - Batoul Aladib
AU - Nirmin Bachlah
AU - Marwa Hujk
AU - Jamal Alkhatib
AU - Maen Alshak
AU - Yihea Mohammad Al-Mashaqbah
AU - Merei Assad
AU - Tarek Farem
AU - Ekram Hassan Hasanin
AU - Raghad Gharaibeh
AU - Abdelrahman Abuali
AU - Mohammad Ghanem
AU - Mohammad Alyahya
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC medical education
DO - 10.1186/s12909-026-09939-5
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902232
AB - Background Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by sudden abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. More than three-quarters of people with epilepsy live in developing countries, where the disorder continues to pose a major public health challenge. There are also various causes of this disease, which may include tumors, infections, genetic factors, or traumas.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 939 medical trainees from public and private universities in four Arab countries. A convenience sampling method was used, and participants were recruited voluntarily through an online questionnaire distributed via social media platforms and paper-based questionnaires administered within medical faculties. The questionnaire consisted of several sections, including demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to epilepsy.Results Eighty-seven point eight percent of females knew that epilepsy can occur at any age, which was significantly higher than 82.5% of males (p-value = 0.033). Furthermore, 66.9% of private university students knew about simple partial seizures while only 54.3% from public universities knew about it (p-value < 0.001). Among clinical students, 72.0% reported knowledge of simple partial seizures, compared to 31.4% among pre-clinical students (p-value < 0.001). Recognition of brain surgery as an appropriate treatment method was reported by 29.9% of students aged 21-22 years, compared to only 13.0% among those aged ≥ 25 years (p-value < 0.001).Conclusion The findings indicate a generally favorable level of awareness and knowledge of epilepsy among medical students. However, educational gaps regarding epilepsy treatment and persistence of misconceptions emphasize the importance of revising curricula and establishing comprehensive, advanced training programs.
SN - 1472-6920
ER -