Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of General Practitioners to Sleep Disorders in Qazvin, Iran

Background and Objective: Sleep disorders are common medical problems in most of the communities. However, medical students and general practitioners (GPs) do not have enough information about sleep disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of GPs in the field of sleep disorders in Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study, all physicians working in the private sector of Qazvin were invited to participate in this study. A comprehensive questionnaire was used including questions about knowledge, attitude, and practice of GPs about sleep disorders. Univariate logistic regression was used for calculation of odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals for demographic factors. Results: A total of 243 GPs participated including 123 (50.6%) females. A mean age of participants was 39.5 ± 8.2 years. The prevalence of sleep disorders among their patients was 25.2% and they believed that nearly 30% of cases of sleep disorders have been occurred following somatic disease. The average of knowledge, attitude, and practice in GPs was 63.8%, 49.4%, and 56.5%, respectively. There were lower levels of knowledge with increasing years after graduation. Conclusion: Attitude and practice of the current study sample were unsatisfactory regarding managing sleep disorders. More specialized training about sleep disorders and teaching appropriate methods of the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders for GPs are needed.