Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of final-year healthcare students in low- and middle-income countries regarding epilepsy, dementia, and psychiatric disorders

Purpose Prevalence of chronic brain disorders, including dementia, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders, is increasing worldwide. This represents a major challenge for future healthcare professionnals, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of final-year students in medicine, pharmacy, and nursing specialties across three LMIC macro-regions to identify unmet needs and strengthen health education curricula.

A cross-sectional multicentric survey was conducted using a standardized, self-administered questionnaire developed by experts and translated into five languages (French, English, Spanish, Lao and Khmer). Administered through KoboToolBox, the questionnaire explored four domains (knowledge, attitudes, practices, and speciality) in dementia, epilepsy and psychiatric disorders. Scores are expressed as the average percentage of correct answers. Eligible participants were final-year students in medicine, pharmacy, and nursing.

A total of 888 students from eight LMICs participated: 39.0% from Southeast Asia, 43.0% from Africa, and 18.0% from South America. Students’ mean age was 24.3 ± 4.7 years. The average percentage of correct answers was 76.1%, with significantly higher scores in psychiatric disorders (p < 0.001). Prior training and awareness were linked to higher KAP scores. Significant disparities were found by region, specialties, and disease, such as persistent misconceptions and stigma.

These findings will guide the incorporation of new teaching approaches in future healthcare education of dementia, epilepsy and psychiatric disorders in LMICs. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement Yes Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The study was authorized by the Ethics Committee of the Limoges University Hospital (number 398-2020-54) and by ethics committees of the eight participating countries. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Data Availability All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.