Abstract
Background and Aims: Osteoarthritis is defined as a progressive joint disorder that has been linked to many factors such as genetic, biomechanical, and environmental that contributes to causing physical, psychological, and social consequences. In many countries, prevalence of OA can exceed the prevalence of other common medical diseases. This study aimed to explore the perception, attitude, and practice among patients with osteoarthritis in Sudair region-Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving patients with osteoarthritis in Sudair was conducted to assess perception, attitude, and practice. The sample size was taken as 165 and data were collected over a period of 6 months from June to December 2020. Adults over the age of 18 were invited in the study and the approval was obtained from research ethics committee of Majmaah University. The responses to the online questionnaires were collected in an Excel spreadsheet and exported to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) file.

Results: A total of 53 participants were considered. 58.4% had a university education or above, and only 32.1% had an income of <5000 SR. No more than 7.5% and 11.3% were unsatisfied and strongly unsatisfied with their self-image. 30.2% were strongly unsatisfied about the discussion with a plastic surgeon prior to reconstruction. 81.1% would recommend the type of reconstruction to a friend, and 77.4% agreed that they would choose this type of reconstruction if they had to do it all over again. 79.2% to 88.7% reported no arm concerns at all. 45.3% of patients reported that it took them longer than expected to recover, and 52.8% of patients reported that the surgery was complex.

Conclusions: The research included 165 participants in Sudair region. Almost 80% of them belonged to the age-group of 18-50 years. 60.6% of participants were females. 81.2% of them were residing Inside Al Majmaah city. Based on the given criteria, 67.3% of patients with moderate perception. For attitude, majority of them 66.1% were classified as negative attitude. 64.2% of patients had moderate practices.

Key words: Perception, Attitude, Practice, Osteoarthritis, Saudi Arabia