背景:了解遗传学对医学生至关重要,特别是在沙特阿拉伯,由于近亲婚姻的高发,遗传疾病很普遍。这些知识对于早期检测至关重要,预防,和遗传疾病的管理,并将医学遗传学和基因组学纳入患者护理。这项研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯医学生和实习生的遗传学知识现状,并确定遗传学知识差距。
方法:在2023年8月至9月之间进行了一项横断面研究,涉及来自沙特阿拉伯所有地区的732名医学生。参与者完成了一份经过验证的问卷,评估他们对基础遗传学的了解,遗传遗传,基因检测,和临床遗传学。
结果:超过60%的医学生和实习生报告说,他们认为自己在遗传学的所有领域只有很少的知识。结果显示,学生和实习生普遍缺乏医学遗传学理解,特别是关于遗传遗传和测试。对于遗传遗传,在65.2%的临床前发现了轻微的知识,60.1%的临床,53.2%的实习生,组间差异显著(p<0.001)。在基因检测中,75.4%的临床前,83.9%的临床,90.6%的实习生表现出轻微的知识,不同阶段存在显著差异(p=0.021)。这项研究还发现,讲座,遗传学实验室,和解决问题的会议是学习遗传学的首选资源。
结论:当前的研究揭示了沙特阿拉伯医学生和实习生对医学遗传学的理解存在明显不足,特别是关于遗传遗传和测试。这与先前的研究强调医学生普遍缺乏遗传学知识是一致的。整合更全面的遗传学教育,尤其是在临床期间,可以提高学生应对遗传疾病的准备和信心。这些发现强调了课程开发的迫切需要,以使未来的医生具备管理遗传疾病的基本技能。
BACKGROUND: Understanding genetics is crucial for medical students, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where genetic disorders are prevalent owing to high rates of consanguineous marriages. This knowledge is essential for the early detection, prevention, and management of genetic disorders, and for incorporating medical genetics and genomics into patient care. This study aimed to assess the current state of genetics knowledge among medical students and interns across Saudi Arabia and to identify knowledge gaps in genetics.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between August and September 2023 involving 732 medical students from all regions of Saudi Arabia. The participants completed a validated questionnaire assessing their knowledge of basic genetics, genetic inheritance, genetic testing, and clinical genetics.
RESULTS: Over 60% of medical students and interns reported that they considered themselves to have only slight knowledge in all areas of genetics. The results revealed a general lack of medical genetic understanding among students and interns, particularly regarding genetic inheritance and testing. For genetic inheritance, slight knowledge was found in 65.2% of pre-clinical, 60.1% of clinical, and 53.2% of interns, with significant differences between groups (p < 0.001). In genetic testing, 75.4% of pre-clinical, 83.9% of clinical, and 90.6% of interns showed slight knowledge, with significant differences across stages (p = 0.021). This study also found that lectures, genetics laboratories, and problem-solving sessions were the preferred resources for learning genetics.
CONCLUSIONS: The current study revealed a notable deficiency in the understanding of medical genetics among medical students and interns in Saudi Arabia, particularly regarding genetic inheritance and testing. This is consistent with previous research highlighting the widespread lack of genetics knowledge among medical students. Integrating more comprehensive genetics education, especially during the clinical years, could improve students\' preparedness and confidence in managing genetic disorders. These findings highlight the critical need for curriculum development to equip future physicians with the essential skills for managing genetic disorders.