Iranian future healthcare professionals’ knowledge and opinions about rare diseases: cross‑sectional study

Jan Domaradzki

doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-022-02458-8

Iranian future healthcare professionals’ knowledge and opinions about rare diseases: cross‑sectional study

Abstract

Background: Rare diseases are a new global health priority, requiring evidence-based estimates of the global prevalence
of diseases to inform public policymakers and provide a serious challenge to the healthcare system that must not be ignored. The purpose of this study is to investigate Iranian future healthcare professionals’ knowledge and opinions about rare diseases.
Results: A total of 6838 students responded to the questionnaire. Nursing and medical students had the highest participation.
Almost 85% of participants rated their knowledge about rare diseases as poor or insufficient. While nearly 70 percent of participants took courses about rare diseases at university. Finally, 72.7% of future healthcare professionals did not feel ready to take care of a patient with a rare disease.
Conclusion: The present study has indicated a gap in Iranian medical students’ knowledge of rare diseases. The researchers believe that health science policymakers should make a joint effort to improve knowledge about rare diseases. Including courses with regard to rare diseases would be of benefit to future healthcare professionals.