Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Among Caregivers About Lumbar Puncture in the Pediatric Age Group in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia

TL;DR

This study explores caregivers' knowledge and fears about lumbar punctures for children in Saudi Arabia, finding widespread misconceptions and fear of complications.

Contribution

The study provides insights into caregivers' attitudes and knowledge gaps regarding lumbar punctures in pediatric care in Saudi Arabia.

Findings

Most participants feared complications like paralysis, pain, and infection from lumbar punctures.

Caregivers with higher knowledge levels were more likely to approve the procedure.

Gender, age, and health field exposure significantly influenced knowledge about lumbar punctures.

Abstract

Background

Lumbar puncture is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of neuroinfections, neuroinflammatory diseases, and central nervous system malignancies. However, some parents refuse to have their children undergo the procedure, causing challenges for accurate diagnoses and choices for the best course of action. This study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge among parents and caregivers in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia about lumbar puncture in the pediatric age group.

Methodology

This cross-sectional study used a validated self-administered questionnaire in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia. Participants included in this study were caregivers and parents over 18 years of age. The data were represented as numbers and percentages. The data were then analyzed and compared using the chi-square test to examine associations between the two variables. P-values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

Results

The study included 993 participants from different age categories (18-50 years). The majority of the participants were female (n = 817, 82.3%) and Saudi Arabian (n = 836, 84.2%). Overall, 66.4% of participants were parents, and 33.6% (n = 334) did not have children. Further, 62.7% (n = 632) of respondents had heard about lumbar puncture before, and 35% (n = 122) had children or relatives who had needed this procedure before. The procedure was approved by 35% of the participants and rejected by 65%. Most (n = 187, 82.4%) parents rejected the procedure because of the fear of complications (n = 144, 63.4%). The most common fears associated with the procedure were the risk of paralysis (n = 597, 60.1%), pain (n = 421, 42.4%), chance of infection (n = 296, 29.8%), or even death (n = 270, 27.2%). Most parents who had refused the procedure would change their mind after discussing with the doctor (n = 166, 73.1%), through clarifying with the attending physician about the potential risks of refusing the procedure (n = 84, 50.6%). The knowledge level of the study participants concerning the lumbar puncture procedure was low in the majority of participants (n = 750, 75.5%). Gender, age, having children, or having contact with the health field were significant factors (p < 0.05) affecting the knowledge about the lumbar puncture procedure.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrated insufficient knowledge regarding lumbar puncture in pediatrics. The most common fears of the procedure were the risk of paralysis, followed by pain, the chance of infection, or even death. Gender, age, having children, or having contact with the health field were significant factors affecting the knowledge about the lumbar puncture procedure. A lack of knowledge on lumbar puncture reflects negative beliefs toward the procedure.