An interview study with medical scribes on how their work may alleviate clinician burnout through delegated health IT tasks

ObjectivesTo understand how medical scribes’ work may contribute to alleviating clinician burnout attributable directly or indirectly to the use of health IT.Materials and MethodsQualitative analysis of semistructured interviews with 32 participants who had scribing experience in a variety of clinical settings.ResultsWe identified 7 categories of clinical tasks that clinicians commonly choose to offload to medical scribes, many of which involve delegated use of health IT. These range from notes-taking and computerized data entry to foraging, assembling, and tracking information scattered across multiple clinical information systems. Some common characteristics shared among these tasks include: (1) time-consuming to perform; (2) difficult to remember or keep track of; (3) disruptive to clinical workflow, clinicians’ cognitive processes, or patient–provider interactions; (4) perceived to be low-skill “clerical” work; and (5) deemed as adding no value to direct patient care.DiscussionThe fact that clinicians opt to “outsource” certain clinical tasks to medical scribes is a strong indication that performing these tasks is not perceived to be the best use of their time. Given that a vast majority of healthcare practices in the US do not have the luxury of affording medical scribes, the burden would inevitably fall onto clinicians’ shoulders, which could be a major source for clinician burnout.ConclusionsMedical scribes help to offload a substantial amount of burden from clinicians—particularly with tasks that involve onerous interactions with health IT. Developing a better understanding of medical scribes’ work provides useful insights into the sources of clinician burnout and potential solutions to it.     

Can we understand population healthcare needs using electronic medical records?

INTRODUCTIONThe identification of population-level healthcare needs using hospital electronic medical records (EMRs) is a promising approach for the evaluation and development of tailored healthcare services. Population segmentation based on healthcare needs may be possible using information on health and social service needs from EMRs. However, it is currently unknown if EMRs from restructured hospitals in Singapore provide information of sufficient quality for this purpose. We compared the inter-rater reliability between a population segment that was assigned prospectively and one that was assigned retrospectively based on EMR review.METHODS200 non-critical patients aged ≥ 55 years were prospectively evaluated by clinicians for their healthcare needs in the emergency department at Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. Trained clinician raters with no prior knowledge of these patients subsequently accessed the EMR up to the prospective rating date. A similar healthcare needs evaluation was conducted using the EMR. The inter-rater reliability between the two rating sets was evaluated using Cohen’s Kappa and the incidence of missing information was tabulated.RESULTSThe inter-rater reliability for the medical ‘global impression’ rating was 0.37 for doctors and 0.35 for nurses. The inter-rater reliability for the same variable, retrospectively rated by two doctors, was 0.75. Variables with a higher incidence of missing EMR information such as ‘social support in case of need’ and ‘patient activation’ had poorer inter-rater reliability.CONCLUSIONPre-existing EMR systems may not capture sufficient information for reliable determination of healthcare needs. Thus, we should consider integrating policy-relevant healthcare need variables into EMRs.     

Automated model versus treating physician for predicting survival time of patients with metastatic cancer

ObjectiveBeing able to predict a patient’s life expectancy can help doctors and patients prioritize treatments and supportive care. For predicting life expectancy, physicians have been shown to outperform traditional models that use only a few predictor variables. It is possible that a machine learning model that uses many predictor variables and diverse data sources from the electronic medical record can improve on physicians’ performance. For patients with metastatic cancer, we compared accuracy of life expectancy predictions by the treating physician, a machine learning model, and a traditional model.Materials and MethodsA machine learning model was trained using 14 600 metastatic cancer patients’ data to predict each patient’s distribution of survival time. Data sources included note text, laboratory values, and vital signs. From 2015–2016, 899 patients receiving radiotherapy for metastatic cancer were enrolled in a study in which their radiation oncologist estimated life expectancy. Survival predictions were also made by the machine learning model and a traditional model using only performance status. Performance was assessed with area under the curve for 1-year survival and calibration plots.ResultsThe radiotherapy study included 1190 treatment courses in 899 patients. A total of 879 treatment courses in 685 patients were included in this analysis. Median overall survival was 11.7 months. Physicians, machine learning model, and traditional model had area under the curve for 1-year survival of 0.72 (95% CI 0.63–0.81), 0.77 (0.73–0.81), and 0.68 (0.65–0.71), respectively.ConclusionsThe machine learning model’s predictions were more accurate than those of the treating physician or a traditional model.     

Knowledge of senior secondary school students in Nigeria about Head and Neck Cancer: Implications on prevention strategies

BackgroundThe high prevalence of the risk factors of head and neck cancer (HNC) amongst senior secondary (high) school students in Nigeria is an issue of serious public health concern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of HNC among them.MethodsThis cross-sectional study surveyed 2,530 senior secondary school students in Nigeria, assessed their knowledge of HNC, using a self-administered questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using the SPSS version 25 software.ResultsThe mean (±SD) age of the respondents was 16.34 (±2.0) years. More than half (1418; 56.6%) of them were males, 530 (20.9%) were schooling in the north-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria, 1,860 (73.5%) were in public schools, 554 (21.9%) were boarding students, and 817 (33.5%) were in Senior Secondary (SS) 3 class. Only 789 (31.2%) respondents were aware of HNC, out of which: 69.2% of them had below-average scores in their overall assessment on HNC; 256 (32.4%) had ever received education on HNC and 81.2% indicated a positive interest in knowing more about HNC. The factors predicting above-average score on knowledge about HNC among the respondents were: being in SS3 class (OR=1.73; 95% CI=1.17 – 2.56), having been educated about HNC (OR=1.69; 95%CI=1.21 – 2.35) and having the interest to know more about HNC (OR=1.88; 95%CI=1.21 – 2.92). Bivariate analysis showed that these factors had statistically significant association (or relationship) with above-average score on knowledge about HNC (pvalues<0.05).ConclusionMajority of the surveyed students were willing to know more about HNC. The use of a properly planned massive school-based HNC education programs may go a long way in educating this population group on HNC.     

Personal health information management among healthy older adults: Varying needs and approaches

ObjectiveWith age, older adults experience a greater number of chronic diseases and medical visits, and an increased need to manage their health information. Technological advances in consumer health information technologies (HITs) help patients gather, track, and organize their health information within and outside of clinical settings. However, HITs have not focused on the needs of older adults and their caregivers. The goal of the SOARING (Studying Older Adults and Researching their Information Needs and Goals) Project was to understand older adult personal health information management (PHIM) needs and practices to inform the design of HITs that support older adults.Materials and MethodsDrawing on the Work System Model, we took an ecological approach to investigate PHIM needs and practices of older adults in different residential settings. We conducted in-depth interviews and surveys with adults 60 years of age and older.ResultsWe performed on-site in-person interview sessions with 88 generally healthy older adults in various settings including independent housing, retirement communities, assisted living, and homelessness. Our analysis revealed 5 key PHIM activities that older adults engage in: seeking, tracking, organizing, sharing health information, and emergency planning. We identified 3 major themes influencing older adults’ practice of PHIM: (1) older adults are most concerned with maintaining health and preventing illness, (2) older adults frequently involve others in PHIM activities, and (3) older adults’ approach to PHIM is situational and context-dependent.DiscussionOlder adults’ approaches to PHIM are dynamic and sensitive to changes in health, social networks, personal habits, motivations, and goals.ConclusionsPHIM tools that meet the needs of older adults should accommodate the dynamic nature of aging and variations in individual, organizational, and social contexts.     

A systematic literature review of Native American and Pacific Islanders’ perspectives on health data privacy in the United States

BackgroundPrivacy-related concerns can prevent equitable participation in health research by US Indigenous communities. However, studies focused on these communities'' views regarding health data privacy, including systematic reviews, are lacking.MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature review analyzing empirical, US-based studies involving American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (NHPI) perspectives on health data privacy, which we define as the practice of maintaining the security and confidentiality of an individual’s personal health records and/or biological samples (including data derived from biological specimens, such as personal genetic information), as well as the secure and approved use of those data.ResultsTwenty-one studies involving 3234 AI/AN and NHPI participants were eligible for review. The results of this review suggest that concerns about the privacy of health data are both prevalent and complex in AI/AN and NHPI communities. Many respondents raised concerns about the potential for misuse of their health data, including discrimination or stigma, confidentiality breaches, and undesirable or unknown uses of biological specimens.ConclusionsParticipants cited a variety of individual and community-level concerns about the privacy of their health data, and indicated that these deter their willingness to participate in health research. Future investigations should explore in more depth which health data privacy concerns are most salient to specific AI/AN and NHPI communities, and identify the practices that will make the collection and use of health data more trustworthy and transparent for participants.     

Alternatives to Project-specific Consent for Access to Personal Information for Health Research: What Is the Opinion of the Canadian Public?

Objectives

This study sought to determine public opinion on alternatives to project-specific consent for use of their personal information for health research.

Design

The authors conducted a fixed-response random-digit dialed telephone survey of 1,230 adults across Canada.

Measurements

We measured attitudes toward privacy and health research; trust in different institutions to keep information confidential; and consent choice for research use of one’s own health information involving medical record review, automated abstraction of information from the electronic medical record, and linking education or income with health data.

Results

Support was strong for both health research and privacy protection. Studying communicable diseases and quality of health care had greatest support (85% to 89%). Trust was highest for data institutes, university researchers, hospitals, and disease foundations (78% to 80%). Four percent of respondents thought information from their paper medical record should not be used at all for research, 32% thought permission should be obtained for each use, 29% supported broad consent, 24% supported notification and opt out, and 11% felt no need for notification or consent. Opinions were more polarized for automated abstraction of data from the electronic medical record. Respondents were more willing to link education with health data than income.

Conclusions

Most of the public supported alternatives to study-specific consent, but few supported use without any notification or consent. Consent choices for research use of one’s health information should be documented in the medical record. The challenge remains how best to elicit those choices and ensure that they are up-to-date.     

上海市312例基层医务人员HPV及其疫苗认知情况调查研究

目的 了解上海市基层医务人员对人类乳头瘤病毒(HPV)及其疫苗相关知识的认知情况。方法 根据调查目标自行设计关于HPV及其疫苗相关知识的调查问卷,通过简单随机抽样选取上海3家社区卫生服务中心基层医务人员填写问卷,并对问卷调查数据进行分析。结果 共发放问卷339份,回收有效问卷312份,调查对象HPV知晓率为97.4%,HPV疫苗知晓率为96.1%;≤48岁女性医务人员HPV疫苗接种率为32.6%(n=242),11.2%的调查对象不愿将来给自己子女接种HPV疫苗,在尚未接种的≤45岁女性医务[JP2]工作者中,34.7%(52/150)的调查对象不愿意接种HPV疫苗。年龄小于26岁(OR=0.186;95%CI:0.063~0.547)、职业为医生或者护士(OR=0.186;95%CI:0.063~0.547)是接种HPV疫苗的保护因素。结论 上海市基层医务人员HPV及其疫苗知晓率较高,但对其相关知识存在薄弱点,应针对其HPV及疫苗接种知识的薄弱点,加强健康培训。     

Hospital discharge information after elective total hip or knee joint replacement surgery: A clinical audit of preferences among general practitioners

The demand for elective joint replacement (EJR) surgery for degenerative joint disease continues to rise in Australia, and relative to earlier practices, patients are discharged back to the care of their general practitioner (GP) and other community-based providers after a shorter hospital stay and potentially greater post-operative acuity. In order to coordinate safe and effective post-operative care, GPs rely on accurate, timely and clinically-informative information from hospitals when their patients are discharged. The aim of this project was to undertake an audit with GPs regarding their preferences about the components of information provided in discharge summaries for patients undergoing EJR surgery for the hip or knee.GPs in a defined catchment area were invited to respond to an online audit instrument, developed by an interdisciplinary group of clinicians with knowledge of orthopaedic surgery practices. The 15-item instrument required respondents to rank the importance of components of discharge information developed by the clinician working group, using a three-point rating scale.Fifty-three GPs and nine GP registrars responded to the audit invitation (11.0% response rate). All discharge information options were ranked as ‘essential’ by a proportion of respondents, ranging from 14.8–88.5%. Essential information requested by the respondents included early post-operative actions required by the GP, medications prescribed, post-operative complications encountered and noting of any allergies. Non-essential information related to the prosthesis used. The provision of clinical guidelines was largely rated as ‘useful’ information (47.5–56.7%).GPs require a range of clinical information to safely and effectively care for their patients after discharge from hospital for EJR surgery. Implementation of changes to processes used to create discharge summaries will require engagement and collaboration between clinical staff, hospital administrators and information technology staff, supported in parallel by education provided to junior medical staff.     

Effectiveness of near-peer simulation for managing the acutely deteriorating patient among residents of an internal medicine junior residency programme

INTRODUCTIONNear-peer teaching is gaining popularity as a teaching modality, as it improves the learner’s understanding, is targeted at an appropriate level and promotes familiarisation. This study was initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating near-peer instruction into simulation-based training within a junior residency programme.METHODS42 first-year residents from an internal medicine junior residency programme were recruited. Participants underwent a simulation-based training programme conducted over five weeks. Each week involved either an emergency or acute clinical scenario. A structured questionnaire was administered prior to and after the course to compare participants’ perceived knowledge, experience and confidence in managing the clinical scenarios.RESULTSIn our study, 83% of participants agreed/strongly agreed that the scenarios were realistic. There were improvements in perceived knowledge, experience and confidence after the course. The greatest improvement was seen for experience (post-simulation: median 7.00 [interquartile range (IQR) 6.00‒8.00] vs. pre-simulation: median 5.00 [IQR 3.00–6.25]). 65% of participants were keen to help with future training.CONCLUSIONNear-peer simulation training was found to be a viable and valuable method of instruction for first-year residents for increasing experience, instilling confidence and improving perceived knowledge. Integration of such programmes within medical education curricula shows good promise of continuity, with many first-year residents inspired to organise subsequent sessions.     

Cross-sectional study of perceptions of qualities of a good medical teacher among medical students from first to final year

INTRODUCTIONDefining the characteristics of a good medical teacher has implications for faculty selection and development. Perceptions of characteristics may differ with cultural context and level of training, as medical students progress from didactic preclinical training based on cognitivist learning theory to more complex integration of theory and practice in specific contexts in clinical training based on constructivist learning theory.METHODSWe modified a validated questionnaire with permission from the original authors at Melaka Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia. Participants rated 35 characteristics on a 5-point Likert scale. The modified questionnaire was validated in a pilot pool of medical students (n = 69), with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90, and administered to Year 1–5 medical students (n = 917) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.RESULTSBased on the proportion of favourable Likert scoring, four top desirable characteristics were common across Year 1–5 students: good communication skills (84.4%); sound knowledge of subject (82.7%); enthusiasm (78.4%); and providing effective explanations (74.4%). Approachability (p = 0.005), encouraging participation (p < 0.001) and constructive criticism (p < 0.001) were more important to clinical students (Year 3–5) than preclinical students (Year 1–2).CONCLUSIONThe top four characteristics were consistent across all years of medical students in this study. Characteristics emphasised in the clinical years facilitate active learner participation, consistent with constructivist learning theory.     

Phosphate binders usage,patients knowledge,and adherence: A cross-sectional study in 4 centers at Qassim,Saudi Arabia

Objectives:To assess phosphate binders’ usage, knowledge regarding their utilization, and adherence among hemodialysis patients in Qassim, Saudi Arabia.Methods:A prospective cross-sectional study conducted at 4 dialysis centers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia with inclusion of 237 patients’ undergoing hemodialysis between November 2018 to January 2019. The study involved interviewing the patients, reviewing their medical records for biomarkers used to assess kidney function, and assessing the patients’ knowledge-based regarding dietary phosphate control, as well as adherence to phosphate binders’ usage.Results:Out of 237 included patients, male to female ratio was 54:46. The prevalence of prescribing non-calcium phosphate binders was 82.7% whereas prescribing calcium phosphate binders was 73.8%. A total of 63% of patients showed a medium level of adherence to phosphate binders. Although adherence level was not poor, therapeutic efficacy was affected by other factors such as administration time adherence positively correlated with the serum phosphate level (p=0.00).Conclusion:Phosphate binders usage is frequent among hemodialysis patients in Qassim centers. Circulating phosphate level was affected by the extent of patients’ knowledge of dietary control and adherence to the usage of phosphate binders. Thus, we recommend enhancing patient education in reference to high- and low- phosphate-rich diet to take wise dietary decisions, lower pill burden, and improve adherence toward the control of hyperphosphatemia     

“Not all my friends need to know”: a qualitative study of teenage patients,privacy, and social media

Background

The literature describes teenagers as active users of social media, who seem to care about privacy, but who also reveal a considerable amount of personal information. There have been no studies of how they manage personal health information on social media.

Objective

To understand how chronically ill teenage patients manage their privacy on social media sites.

Design

A qualitative study based on a content analysis of semistructured interviews with 20 hospital patients (12–18 years).

Results

Most teenage patients do not disclose their personal health information on social media, even though the study found a pervasive use of Facebook. Facebook is a place to be a “regular”, rather than a sick teenager. It is a place where teenage patients stay up-to-date about their social life—it is not seen as a place to discuss their diagnosis and treatment. The majority of teenage patients don''t use social media to come into contact with others with similar conditions and they don''t use the internet to find health information about their diagnosis.

Conclusions

Social media play an important role in the social life of teenage patients. They enable young patients to be “regular” teenagers. Teenage patients'' online privacy behavior is an expression of their need for self-definition and self-protection.     

Assessment of dermatologists’ perception of utilizing teledermatology during COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia

Objectives:To assess teledermatology (TD) perception among dermatologists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the most common advantages and disadvantages of TD.Methods:We conducted a cross-sectional survey-based study to address Saudi dermatologist perceptions of TD from July 2020 to December 2020, during Covid-19 pandemic.Results:Out of 664 emails sent, 107 complete responses were returned. Approximately 40.2% used TD through phone calls, followed by those who used a virtual clinic (32.7%). Also, the best way to use TD, according to respondents, was for triage before inpatient and outpatient visits. When we compared the use of TD in the outpatient and inpatient settings, outpatient responses always had more positive attitudes than inpatients. The most important benefit of TD is to reduce the risk of pandemic infections (69%). More than half of the participants sometimes used TD for diagnosis (n=63, 58.9%) and management (n=59, 55.1%), and 69 (64.5%) considered using it in the future.Conclusion:Our survey-based study indicates that TD is an important part in the future dermatology because our participants agreed that TD decreases cost, increases access to dermatology care, and reduces the risk of pandemic infections. And it is necessary to establish an infrastructure for TD that protects patient’s privacy and ensures accurate diagnosis.     

Financial burden and financial aid for medical students in Singapore: a national survey across all three medical schools

INTRODUCTIONSingapore has had three medical schools since 2013. We undertook a cross-sectional quantitative national survey to determine the financial impact of medical education on medical students in Singapore.METHODSAll 1,829 medical students in Singapore were invited to participate in this study. Information on demographics, financial aid utilisation and outside work was collected and analysed.RESULTS1,241 (67.9%) of 1,829 students participated in the survey. While the overall proportion of students from households with monthly incomes < SGD 3,000 was only 21.2% compared to the national figure of 31.4%, 85.4% of medical students expected to graduate with debts > SGD 75,000. There were significant differences in per capita incomes among the schools, with 54.5%, 23.3% and 7.8% of Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS), NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) students, respectively, reporting a per capita income of < SGD 1,000 (p < 0.001). There were significant differences in financial support: 75.0%, 34.1% and 38.8% of Duke-NUS, NUS Medicine and LKCMedicine students, respectively, received financial aid (p < 0.001). The top reasons for not applying for aid included a troublesome application process (21.4%) and the perception that it would be too difficult to obtain (21.0%).CONCLUSIONStudents in the three medical schools in Singapore differ in their financial needs and levels of financial support received. A national approach to funding medical education may be needed to ensure that financial burdens do not hamper the optimal training of doctors for Singapore’s future.     

Baseline,Cross-sectional Survey of Knowledge,Attitudes, and Practices Related to Efficient Use of Government Resources in the Health Sector in Malawi

BackgroundMisuse of government resources is a challenge within the health sector that can be addressed by increasing public demand for accountability, reporting suspected misuse of resources, and other client-driven changes. This study was led by the USAID/Health Communication for Life Project to inform the design of social accountability communication messages and interventions. The study also established baseline data on Malawians'' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to efficient use of government resources in the health sector.MethodsThis baseline, formative research study used a non-experimental, cross sectional survey design. Sampling for the mobile survey was conducted using the random digit dialing technique. Data were collected via mobile phone using interactive voice response technology. Our sample included 1,425 respondents, 67% of whom were male and 33% were female. Respondents were mostly 35 years old or younger, with more than half of female respondents reporting their age as 18–24 years.ResultsOur findings indicate that Malawians believe misuse of government resources is pervasive in Malawi. Seventy percent of men and nearly 60% of women reported having noticed, found, or seen drugs believed to be from a government health facility being sold elsewhere. Few respondents who had observed or experienced misuse of government health sector resources reported the incident. When asked the likelihood that they would report a request for a bribe, gift, or favor in exchange for health services in the future, 68% of respondents said they would report it.ConclusionsSocial and behavior change communication could serve a key role in motivating those who are aware of misuse of public sector health resources to report the issues they observe and providing them with the information needed to follow through. Further research is needed to understand the best approaches to mitigate underlying factors that drive misuse of resources and underreporting.     

Inter-rater reliability of a composite health promotion scoring system developed in Singapore

INTRODUCTIONIn view of the important role of the environment in improving population health, implementation of health promotion programmes is recommended in living and working environments. Assessing the prevalence of such community health-promoting practices is important to identify gaps and make continuous and tangible improvements to health-promoting environments. We aimed to evaluate the inter-rater reliability of a composite scorecard used to assess the prevalence of community health-promoting practices in Singapore.METHODSInter-rater reliability for the use of the composite health promotion scorecards was evaluated in eight residential zones in the western region of Singapore. The assessment involved three raters, and each zone was evaluated by two raters. Health-promoting practices in residential zones were assessed based on 44 measurable elements under five domains – community support and resources, healthy behaviours, chronic conditions, mental health and common medical emergencies – in the composite scorecard using weighted kappa. The strength of agreement was determined based on Landis and Koch’s classification method.RESULTSA high degree of agreement (almost perfect-to-perfect) was observed between both raters for the measurable elements from most domains and subdomains. An exception was observed for the community support and resources domain, where there was a lower degree of agreement between the raters for a few elements.CONCLUSIONThe composite scorecard demonstrated a high degree of reliability and yielded similar scores for the same residential zone, even when used by different raters.     

A visual representation of microbiological culture data improves comprehension: a randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveWhile the judicious use of antibiotics takes past microbiological culture results into consideration, this data’s typical format in the electronic health record (EHR) may be unwieldy when incorporated into clinical decision-making. We hypothesize that a visual representation of sensitivities may aid in their comprehension.Materials and MethodsA prospective parallel unblinded randomized controlled trial was undertaken at an academic urban tertiary care center. Providers managing emergency department (ED) patients receiving antibiotics and having previous culture sensitivity testing were included. Providers were randomly selected to use standard EHR functionality or a visual representation of patients’ past culture data as they answered questions about previous sensitivities. Concordance between provider responses and past cultures was assessed using the kappa statistic. Providers were surveyed about their decision-making and the usability of the tool using Likert scales.Results518 ED encounters were screened from 3/5/2018 to 9/30/18, with providers from 144 visits enrolled and analyzed in the intervention arm and 129 in the control arm. Providers using the visualization tool had a kappa of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.65–0.73) when asked about past culture results while the control group had a kappa of 0.16 (95% CI: 0.12–0.20). Providers using the tool expressed improved understanding of previous cultures and found the tool easy to use (P < .001). Secondary outcomes showed no differences in prescribing practices.ConclusionA visual representation of culture sensitivities improves comprehension when compared to standard text-based representations.     

Awareness of head and neck cancers in Saudi Arabia: A questionnaire based study

Objectives:To address the gap in knowledge by providing data and analyses of the status of awareness among Saudi adults.Methods:This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out in Saudi Arabia from August 2018 to August 2019 through social media platforms using SurveyMonkey. The domains of the questionnaire included demographic information, knowledge of types and symptoms of head and neck cancers (HNCs), and the relation of HNCs to human papillomavirus (HPV) and its vaccine.Results:A total of 3171 respondents completed the questionnaire. The analysis revealed that many of the study respondents (49.3%) were not knowledgeable about HNCs. Almost two-thirds (61.2%) of the study population incorrectly believed that brain cancer was included in HNCs. Over half (57.8%) did not recognize headaches as a symptom. In terms of the risk factors, males showed higher awareness of tobacco and excessive alcohol as risk factors, while females were more knowledgeable about HPV infection (p<0.05).Conclusion:This study revealed that there is a lack of knowledge and awareness of the clinical features of and risk factors for HNCs among the Saudi population.