Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in Recurrent Shoulder Dislocation: an analysis of patients presenting at a tertiary referral centre.

Background Early diagnosis and treatment of recurrent shoulder dislocation are crucial to avoid complications associated with multiple dislocations. Little is known about knowledge, attitude, and practice of recurrent shoulder dislocation among patients. Objective To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice among patients regarding recurrent shoulder dislocation. Method A retrospective study of prospectively collected data from December 2019 to November 2022 among patients seeking treatment for recurrent shoulder dislocation at a tertiary care centre was conducted. A 16-item questionnaire, including 5 items regarding patients' knowledge, 2 items regarding attitude, and 2 items regarding practice on recurrent shoulder dislocation, was devised and responses were recorded. Continuous data were reported as mean ± standard deviation and categorical data were reported as number (percentage). Comparative analysis was done using student t-test. Result A total of 220 patients completed the questionnaire. Out of 220, 159 (72.27%) were not informed about recurrence after first dislocation, 146 (66.36%) felt that they were not properly counselled regarding treatment, and 172 (78.18%) responded that they did not know that recurrent shoulder dislocation can be treated. Among 220 patients, 171 (77.73%) responded that their quality of life was affected by recurrent shoulder dislocation, and first dislocation was relocated by doctors in 116 (52.73%), self in 78 (35.45%), and relatives in 26 (11.82%). The number of dislocations was significantly higher among patients who did not visit the hospital after their first dislocation. Conclusion Majority of the patients have positive attitude, but poor knowledge and practice regarding recurrent shoulder dislocation. The findings would be useful for planning strategies to improve patients counselling regarding recurrent shoulder dislocation.