Primary care physicians play a vital role in preventing the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR) from the initial stages to the late stages. This questionnaire-based analytical cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude, practices, and their correlation among 274 randomly selected primary care physicians in Saudi Arabia. Among the studied population, high knowledge, attitudes, and practice scores were observed in 21.5%, 15%, and 29.2% of the physicians, respectively. The mean knowledge score was significantly higher among the age group of less than 30 years (p = 0.031) and the female gender (p = 0.012). The attitude scores were significantly higher among the Saudi physicians (p = 0.027) and those with PHC work experience of less than five years (p < 0.001). Regarding the practices, a significant association was found among the age group of less than 30 years (p = 0.019) and Saudi physicians (p = 0.003). There was a significant positive correlation between knowledge (correlation coefficient (r) = 0.739, p < 0.001) and attitude (r = 0.479, p = 0.007) with the practice scores. It is recommended that targeted continuous medical education, workshops, and seminars are conducted on the prevention and care of DR among primary care physicians. Furthermore, an exploratory multicenter study that involves primary care physicians belonging to all ministries and private sectors is warranted.

Primary care physicians (PCPs) are the first line of defense for the management of common dermatological conditions (DCs). This study aimed to assess how dermatological diseases are identified, managed, and referred to in primary healthcare centers (PHCs). This was a mixed methods study comprising a cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews recruited through PHCs across the Jouf region of Saudi Arabia. Sixty-one PCPs completed the data, and eight participants were interviewed. A survey based on a sample of 22 photographs of common DCs in the Kingdom was administered to the participants to answer questions about the correct diagnosis, appropriate management, referral strategy, and encounter rate. In our sampled population, the mean overall knowledge level on a scale of 10 was 7.08 (±1.3). Among participants that had good to acceptable scores, 51 (83.6%) were in the overall knowledge parameter, 46 (75.4%) in the diagnosis parameter, and 49 (80.3%) in the management parameter. PCPs with five years or more of experience were found to have significantly higher overall knowledge and management scores. Most of our PCPs demonstrated sufficient knowledge of common DCs and had good to acceptable scores in all parameters. However, educational and regulatory aspects of PCPs’ clinical management were identified. Focused training, provision of workshops, and improving medical school curricula regarding common DCs are recommended.