The Saudi medical resident’s attitude, knowledge and barriers towards the use clinical practice guidelines

Objective: To describe the medical resident’s attitude, knowledge and barriers towards the use CPGS at KFSH&RC. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to medical residents. The questionnaire hasfour parts: demographic characteristics, practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and barriers to CPGS. Results: The total number is 71 residents with a response rate of 100%. The mean age is 26.83 ± 2.1.54.9% of participants are used CPGS. In a scale of 5 the most barriers are lack of motivation to change 2.3 ± 1.1. They fail to follow up guidelines due to poor patients’ compliance to recommendations 2.5 ± 0.7, they believe that guidelines are difficult to apply in clinical practice 2.6 ± 0.8, lack of formal implementation strategies at medical residents’ institution 2.7 ± 0.9. Lack of familiarity with the benefit associated with interventions described in guideline 2.8 ± 1.01, lack of access to guideline 2.7 ± 1.1, lack of agreement with guideline content 2.7 ± 0.9. believing that information should be summarized in ways that are convenient for physicians to use 4 ± 1.1, the confusion about different guidelines from different societies on the same topic 3.9 ± 0.8. The most positive attitude is the agreement on the need of having a local Saudi task force to design guidelines 4.26 ± 0.98, believing in an evidence based medicine in clinical practice 4.2 ± 0.8. Residents don’t see any guidelines applied in their health care unit 2.2 ± 2.1, the disapproving attitudes towards the guidelines by most of their colleagues 2.4 ± 0.9, endorsement of guidelines by consultants more relevant for enhancing guideline use 3.5 ±0.8. Conclusion: There is a need for strategies to overcome the barriers towards the use of CPGs like curriculum in medical collages and residency programs. To encourage the role of consultants for enhancing guidelines use in clinical practice.