Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitudes Towards Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Cardiac Tissue Regeneration in Postmyocardial Infarction Patients Among Medical Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundMesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has emerged as a promising investigational regenerative strategy for cardiac repair following myocardial infarction (MI), with clinical studies reporting variable effects on cardiac function, infarct size, and ventricular remodeling.Understanding how medical professionals perceive this evolving field is relevant to education, research participation, and appropriate trial referral.Limited evidence exists regarding these aspects among medical professionals, particularly in India. ObjectivesThis study aims to assess the awareness, self-reported knowledge, and attitudes of medical professionals regarding MSC therapy for cardiac tissue regeneration in post-MI patients and to explore the association between self-reported knowledge and a composite attitude score. MethodsA questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 215 medical professionals, including interns, postgraduate residents, and faculty members, at BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences (BGS GIMS), Bengaluru, India.Enrolment and questionnaire administration took place in August 2025, after Institutional Ethics Committee approval.Participants were recruited using convenience sampling.Awareness, knowledge, and attitude were assessed using a pretested structured questionnaire.Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics and response patterns.Comparisons across professional designations were performed, and Pearson's correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between self-reported knowledge and composite attitude scores. ResultsAmong the 215 participants, 136 (63.3%) were female, and 114 (53.0%) were interns.Good awareness of MSC therapy was observed in 117 (54.4%) of participants, whereas 122 (56.7%) demonstrated good knowledge.A positive attitude toward MSC therapy was reported by 202 (94.0%) of respondents.No statistically significant differences in awareness (p = 0.90), knowledge (p = 0.48), or attitude (p = 0.89) scores were observed across professional designations.Knowledge and attitude scores demonstrated a weak but statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), indicating that greater knowledge was associated with more positive attitudes toward MSC therapy. ConclusionsMedical professionals demonstrated favorable attitudes toward MSC therapy despite persistent gaps in awareness and self-reported knowledge across all professional groups.This uncertainty is understandable for an investigational therapy.The positive association between knowledge and composite attitude score suggests that educational interventions may enhance evidence-based patient counselling and appropriate referral to clinical trials.Integrating regenerative medicine into undergraduate and postgraduate curricula, alongside continuing medical education, may facilitate evidence-based patient counselling and appropriate referral to clinical trials.