Exploring early-career sudanese physicians’ perspectives on functional neurological disorder: Knowledge, attitude, and clinical practice

To explore the knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices of early-career Sudanese physicians regarding Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). In this cross-sectional quantitative study, 87 of 116 approached physicians completed a 38-item online self-administered questionnaire. Most participants were male (51.7%, n = 45), house officers (60.9%, n = 53), and had less than five years of experience (85.1%, n = 74). Nearly half (49.4%, n = 43) perceived themselves as having good knowledge of FND, including its pathogenesis, underlying mechanisms, and treatment. Clinical approaches to FND varied among participants. Several barriers to effective management were reported, including perceiving FND patients as more demanding and difficult to deal with (56.3%, n = 49), lack of consensus or treatment guidelines (55.2%, n = 48), and hospital capacity strain. Overall, the findings indicate gaps in knowledge, predominantly negative attitudes, and variation in clinical practice regarding FND. These findings highlight the need for greater educational efforts targeting healthcare professionals, patients, families, and communities to improve awareness and management of FND.