Knowledge and Practice of Primary Health Care Providers in the Management of Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia and Gout in the Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia

Introduction & Aim The most prevalent type of inflammatory arthritis is gout. It develops because of hyperuricemia, which makes monosodium urate (MSU) crystals accumulate in the joints. However, hyperuricemia does not always cause gout. Methodology The following is a cross-sectional study conducted in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. 133 PHPs in this region were given a self-administered questionnaire through an online survey. The questionnaire included four sections: Demographic data ( i.e., age, gender, years of experience) Knowledge of asymptomatic hyperuricemia; Management practices of asymptomatic hyperuricemia; Knowledge and practice of gout management Results One hundred thirty-three primary healthcare providers took part (males 63.9%; females 36.1%). The proportion of PHPs who attended continuing medical education (CME) on AH or gout was 32.3%. Moreover, 67.7% already knew the guidelines for managing AH or gout. PHPs' level of knowledge regarding the management of AH and gout was good (45.9%), but their level of practice was poor (23.3%). Greater experience and CME attendance on AH and gout contributed to better understanding and higher practice scores. Conclusion Although PHPs' knowledge of managing AH and gout was adequate, this did not reflect in their practice. Physicians with more years of experience who attended CME on AH and gout demonstrated better knowledge and practice than the rest of the PHPs. It is necessary to address the gaps in the practice of our PHPs, which could be done through in-depth training about AH and gout. Our study could guide other researchers to assess the gaps in other clinical practices that PHPs face.