Knowledge of Acne among Medical Students: Pretest and Posttest Assessment

Background. Acne vulgaris is a disorder of sebaceous glands mainly affecting the adolescent population. There are some misconceptions about acne not only in the general population but also among the medical students. Methods. Second year medical undergraduate students attending dermatology postings for the first time were included in the study. A questionnaire (in yes or no answer format) with 20 questions on acne, each carrying one mark, was to be answered by the students. The students were categorized into 4 grades based on the marks obtained: Grade I 90% marks and above, Grade II 75%–90%, Grade III 50%–74%, and Grade IV <50% marks obtained. Results. Of the 144 students of the batch, 95 (69.5%) completed both pretest and posttest questionnaires. The average pretest score was 14.1 and that of the posttest was 16.9. The percentage of improvement in mean score from pretest to posttest was 16.5. Fischer’s exact test was applied to analyze the improvement in scores between pretest and posttests which is significant at ( ). In the paired -test the improvement in mean scores between pretest and posttest was significant at . 1. Introduction What is known? It is known that the knowledge of acne among general population is low. Acne vulgaris is a disorder of sebaceous glands mainly affecting the adolescent population. Up to 91% of adolescent male and 79% of adolescent females and 3% of adult male and 12% of adult females are affected [1, 2]. Its prevalence among medical students varies from 56% to 62% [3]. Even though acne vulgaris is a very common problem, there are some misconceptions about this condition not only among the general population but among medical students also [1]. Hence we undertook this study to assess the knowledge of acne among medical students and to know the impact or outcome of teaching as assessed by pretest and posttest questionnaires. 2. Material and Methods Second year medical under graduate students attending dermatology postings for the first time and who could complete both pretest and posttest questionnaires were included in the study. The study period was from January 2008 to December 2008. The questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was designed by us to include almost all aspects of acne, such as incidence, aetiopathogenesis, exacerbating factors, role of hormonal factors, and treatment, including myths and facts. The questionnaire had a simple yes or no answer format carrying one mark each. The students were asked to answer all the questions independently on the first day of their dermatology posting and once again at the end