Assessment of the Current Practice of Managing Depression in Patients with Asthma in Saudi Arabia: Physicians’ Views

Abstract

Rayan A Siraj,1 Ahmed M Alrajeh,1 Ahmad E Alhaykan,1 Abdullah A Alqarni,2 Fahad H Alahmadi,3 Abdulelah M Aldhahir,4 Jaber S Alqahtani,5 Samah Bakhadlq,5 Saeed M Alghamdi,6 Saleh S Algarni,7,8 Abdulrhman S Alghamdi,9 Khalid S Alwadeai,9 Abdulelah S Alsulami,10 Tawah H Alsindi,11 Mushabbab A Alahmari12 1Department of Respiratory Care, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahasa, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Respiratory Therapy, Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3Respiratory Therapy Department, College of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia; 4Respiratory Therapy Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 6Clinical Technology Department, Respiratory Care Program, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, 21961, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 8King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, 12271, Saudi Arabia; 9Department of Rehabilitation Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 10Department of Respiratory Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 11Department of Respiratory Therapy Program, Inaya Medical College, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 12Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Rayan A Siraj, Department of Respiratory Care, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahasa, 31982, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected]: Depression is a common comorbidity in patients with asthma with a significant impact on clinical management. However, little information is available about physicians’ perceptions and current practices in identifying and managing depression in individuals with asthma in Saudi Arabia. Thus, this study aims to assess physicians’ views and current practices of identifying and managing depression in patients with asthma in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was employed. Between September 2022 and February 2023, an online survey was distributed to physicians (general practitioners and family, internal and pulmonary medicine specialists) in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics were performed to analyze the collected responses.Results: Out of 1800 invited participants, a total of 1162 physicians completed the online survey. Nearly 40% of the respondents received adequate training for managing depression. More than 60% of physicians reported that depression interferes with self-management and worsens asthma symptoms, while 50% viewed the importance of regular screening for depression. Less than 40% (n=443) aim to identify depression during patients’ visits. Of those, only 20% always screen for depression in asthma patients. Physicians show a low level of confidence when asking patients about their feelings (30%), being able to recognize depression (23%), and knowing if patients have depression (23%). The most common barriers linked to recognizing depression are high workload (50%), lack of time to screen for depression (46%), limited knowledge about depression (42%), and poor training (41%).Conclusion: The rate of recognizing and confidently managing depression in asthmatic patients is significantly low. This is attributed to high workload, poor training, and limited knowledge about depression. There is a need to support psychiatric training and implement a systematic approach to depression detection in clinical settings.Keywords: asthma, depression, management

Keywords

• asthma
• depression
• management