Abstract

Background: Scabies is a typical dermatological disease caused by Sarcoptes scabies. The prevalence of scabies is estimated to be approximately 300 million cases per year worldwide, with the highest number of cases being presented in hot, crowded, and poor hygiene environments. Scabies is a very common issue among all age groups. It can be transmitted easily and quickly among communities.
Methodology: Thirty-nine questions were used to assess the knowledge in five domains related to scabies. Counts and percentages were used to summarize responses. A knowledge score was calculated for each respondent and knowledge was classified as low, good, or excellent. The chi-square test of independence was used to assess the association of demographic characteristics with knowledge.
Results: The majority of respondents (81.1%) had average knowledge regarding scabies, while 16.4% and 2.49% had low and excellent knowledge, respectively. Knowledge regarding Norwegian scabies was low in the included respondents with approximately 40% of the respondents choosing “I don’t know”. The percentage of non-Saudi participants with average knowledge was higher compared to Saudi respondents (87.9% vs. 75.4%, respectively, p < 0.05). Attending conferences during the past years was associated with knowledge regarding scabies (P = 0.005).
Conclusion: The majority of physicians in Saudi Arabia had average overall knowledge and poor knowledge of Norwegian scabies. More efforts should be directed to raising awareness in various domains through continuing medical education and conferences.

Key words: Scabies, general practitioner