Background: Isotretinoin, an oral vitamin A analog, is the most effective acne medication. Unfortunately, such potency comes with various side effects. This study was carried out for the development and validation of a self-administered online questionnaire on isotretinoin teratogenicity awareness among women in Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A 28-item validated self-administered online questionnaire was used in this study, from January 27, 2019 to February 25, 2020. Two pilot surveys were carried out to test the validity of the modified questionnaire, and Cronbachs alpha was found to be 0.742. The pilot surveys only included women of childbearing age (12-51 years old) in addition to being on isotretinoin treatment.
Results: Out of the total 24 responses, 22 women experienced skin, lip, and eye dryness, four experienced increased blood cholesterol level, and two did not face any side effects at all. Five patients were sexually active and 18 were not sexually active during the isotretinoin course. Higher awareness was seen for both the teratogenicity and avoidance of pregnancy aspects in the sexually active group when compared with the non-sexually active group.
Conclusion: Educating patients on proper practices should be prioritized. Overall, the questionnaire has been proven valid and reliable to be used on large-scale studies in the population of interest.
Key words: Acne, female, perception, pregnancy, Saudi Arabia, survey
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