Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients and family members regarding the use of susceptibility-weighted imaging-based optimized substantia nigra imaging in Parkinson’s diagnosis

This study evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding susceptibility-weighted imaging-based optimized substantia nigra (SN-SWI) among patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and family members in Suzhou, China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between April 1, 2024, and March 1, 2025, across three hospitals in Suzhou. The questionnaire captured demographic characteristics and KAP scores.

Of the 501 valid responses, 71.86% of participants were aged ≤ 60 years. Mean scores were 6.82 ± 3.97 for knowledge (possible range: 0–13), 25.49 ± 4.71 for attitude (possible range: 8–40), and 15.43 ± 5.58 for practice (possible range: 5–25). Knowledge was positively correlated with practice, as was attitude with practice.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed significant direct paths from attitude to practice and from knowledge to practice. Mediation analysis revealed direct effects from knowledge and attitude on practice, with no significant indirect effect between knowledge and practice. In conclusion, this cross-sectional study suggests that patients with PD and their family members in Suzhou demonstrated limited knowledge, hesitation in adopting optimized SN‑SWI, and variable levels of engagement with optimized SN‑SWI‑related behaviors.

Additional studies are necessary to examine the impact of the limited KAP on patient outcomes. This study was supported by Changshu City Science and Technology Development Plan (Social Development) Project (CS202021), Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine Natural Science Foundation Project (XZR2021093), and Suzhou City Science and Technology Development Plan (Applied Basic Research (Medical and Health) Scientific and Technological Innovation) General Project (SYW2024051). Xiedong Hong and Linjiang Liu contributed equally to this work.

Department of Radiology, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Changshu, Suzhou, 215000, Jiangsu, China Xiedong Hong, Linjiang Liu, Wenbin Gu, Xin Qian & Junchen Li Department of Neurology, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Changshu, Suzhou, 215000, Jiangsu, China The authors declare that they have no competing interests. I confirm that all methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines. This work has been carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (2000) of the World Medical Association.

This study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (20200201), and all participants provided written informed consent. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.