Abstract
Background
This study aims to assess the level of awareness of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS),
its indications, possible complications, and financial cost among fourth, fifth, and
sixth-year medical students, interns, residents, and specialists at the Jordan University
Hospital (JUH).
Materials and Methods
An anonymous online questionnaire, prepared by a neurosurgeon who is experienced in
GKRS, was sent to our sample population: fourth, fifth, and sixth-year medical students,
interns, residents, and specialists at the JUH. The questionnaire has two parts: the
first was about demographics, and the second was about indications, complications,
cost, availability of GKRS in Jordan, and its coverage by public health insurance.
Only those who had heard about GKRS were allowed to participate in the second part
of the study. The study was terminated at the accrual of 451 completed surveys.
Results
Around two-thirds of the respondents had heard about GKRS. When asked about possible
indications for GKRS, the most commonly agreed-upon indications were vestibular schwannoma
(222/286), meningioma (217/286), brain metastases (210/286), and brain cavernoma (176/286).
On the other hand, diabetes (267/286), arterial hypertension (259/286), migraine (228/286),
and depression (214/286) were the most common diseases that were not believed to be
possible indications. Regarding side effects, most respondents (67% and 58%, respectively)
agreed that dizziness is a common complication, while a permanent neurological deficit
is a rare complication. Almost all respondents believed that GKRS is available in
Jordan. In total, 44.8% believed it costs less than 10,000 Jordanian Dinar (JD). About
public health insurance coverage, 53.1% believe that GKRS is covered by it.
Conclusion
The respondents' awareness of the gamma knife technology is quite poor, which emphasizes
the importance of increasing their exposure to this technology during clinical rotations,
modifying the teaching plan to include lectures introducing this content, and directing
scientific research towards this technology.
Keywords
gamma knife - awareness - radiosurgery - neurosurgery - clinical rotations
