Knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy among medical students and internship doctors: a multinational cross-sectional study in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Libya

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. 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. 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). 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.