Iranian Future Healthcare Professionals' Knowledge and Opinions About Rare Diseases: Cross-Sectional Study Publisher Pubmed



Jahanshahi R¹ ; Nasirzadeh A² ; Farzan M³ ; Domaradzki J⁴ ; Jouybari L^{5, 6} ; Sanagoo A^{5, 6} ; Farzan M³ ; Aghazadehhabashi K⁷ ; Fallah Faraghe A⁸ ; Bagheri S⁹ ; Samiee M¹⁰ ; Ansari A¹¹ ; Eskandari K¹² ; Namakkoobi N¹³ Show All Authors
Source: Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases Published:2022

Abstract

Background: Rare diseases are a new global health priority, requiring evidence-based estimates of the global prevalence of diseases to inform public policymakers and provide a serious challenge to the healthcare system that must not be ignored. The purpose of this study is to investigate Iranian future healthcare professionals' knowledge and opinions about rare diseases. Results: A total of 6838 students responded to the questionnaire. Nursing and medical students had the highest participation. Almost 85% of participants rated their knowledge about rare diseases as poor or insufficient. While nearly 70 percent of participants took courses about rare diseases at university. Finally, 72.7% of future healthcare professionals did not feel ready to take care of a patient with a rare disease. Conclusion: The present study has indicated a gap in Iranian medical students’ knowledge of rare diseases. The researchers believe that health science policymakers should make a joint effort to improve knowledge about rare diseases. Including courses with regard to rare diseases would be of benefit to future healthcare professionals. © 2022, The Author(s).