Knowledge and Awareness of Occupational Therapy among Students from Colleges of Medical Sciences in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

There are limitations in studies addressing knowledge and awareness of Occupational Therapy (OT) among medical sciences students in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the current study aimed to provide insight into the status of knowledge and awareness of occupational therapy among students from colleges of applied or allied medical sciences in Saudi Arabia. Using convenient sampling and snowball methods, students from colleges of applied or allied medical sciences in Saudi Arabia were invited to participate in this cross-sectional online survey. A total of 113 Students responded to our survey. Students had good awareness of OT with some major misconceptions identified such as that OT is a branch of physical therapy. Although participants had higher correct answers on most knowledge questions, the majority had poor to moderate overall knowledge scores with a mean score of 14.53 ± 4.01. Saudi applied or allied medical sciences students had good awareness of OT, yet poor to moderate knowledge about its application in clinical practice. There is a high need for educational and interdisciplinary sessions within academic settings to help clarify and distinguish OT to other future members of the healthcare team. Further research is needed on a variety of different populations within Saudi Arabia.