Knowledge and awareness about developmental dysplasia of the hip in children among medical students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a common pediatric orthopedic condition that can lead to long-term morbidity if not detected early. This study assessed knowledge, awareness, and perceptions of DDH among medical students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of 319 medical students from the second to sixth academic years using a self-administered online questionnaire. Knowledge was scored out of 16 and categorized as good, moderate, or poor. Associations were analyzed using chi-square or Fisher&rsquo;s exact, Mann&ndash;Whitney U, and Kruskal&ndash;Wallis tests (p &lt; 0.05).</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> More than half of the participants (50.8%) had poor knowledge, and 30.1% had good knowledge (mean score 7.52 &plusmn; 5.28 out of 16). Although 53.6% were familiar with DDH, only 26.3% had encountered a case, and most rated their confidence &le;3 on a 5-point scale. Academic year and prior orthopedics/pediatrics training were associated with higher knowledge, awareness, and confidence (p &lt; 0.001); good knowledge was more common among students with such training (53.8% vs. 13.4%). Most participants (88.4%) supported<br />greater emphasis on DDH in the medical curriculum.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Medical students in Madinah showed suboptimal knowledge of DDH and limited clinical exposure despite moderate awareness. Earlier, structured DDH teaching combined with clinical exposure is recommended to support timely diagnosis and referral.</p>