Trauma care systems in Saudi Arabia: an agenda for action

Saudi Arabia is undergoing a rapid population growth that along with improved socioeconomics has led many individuals to own a car or even a number of cars per family, resulting in a greater number of vehicles on the roads. The reduced focus on good public transportation systems and the dependence on cars for transportation have created a diversity of drivers who are unfamiliar with the local driving rules and lack the basic skills for safe driving. This is in addition to some young drivers who frequently violate traffic laws and tend to speed most of the time. This unplanned expansion in road traffic has resulted in more car accidents, injuries, disabilities, and deaths. Accompanying that is an increased socioeconomic burden, depletion of human resources, emotional and psychological stress on families, and a strain on healthcare facilities. If this continues without prompt intervention, it will lead to increased insurance premiums and may become unmanageable. To minimize this impact, a national or regional multidisciplinary trauma system has to be developed and implemented. A trauma system is a preplanned, comprehensive, and coordinated regional injury response network that includes all facilities with the capability to care for the injured. Essential components of the system include trauma prevention, prehospital care, hospital care, rehabilitation, system administration, trauma care education and training, trauma care evaluation and quality improvement, along with the participation of society. Research has documented a significant decrease in morbidity and mortality from trauma after the implementation of such systems, depending on their efficiency. The purpose of this review is to discuss the problem of road traffic accidents in this country and address the trauma care system as an effective solution

Prevalence of symptoms and risk of sleep apnea in middle-aged Saudi women in primary care

To assess the prevalence of symptoms and risks of obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] in a sample of middle-aged Saudi women in a primary care using a validated questionnaire. In this cross-sectional study, trained medical students administered the Berlin Questionnaire to a consecutive random sample of Saudi women in the age group 35-60 years, attending the primary health care center in King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between January and July 2007. Based on the questionnaire, individuals were classified into high-risk and low-risk groups for OSA. Four hundred women with a mean body mass index of 31.3+7.2 kg/m[2] were surveyed in this study. Among the study group, 40.8% reported snoring [everyday in 15%, 3-4 times a week in 7.5%, and one-2 times a week in 9.8%]. Breathing pauses more than 3 times per week was present in 22.5%. Hypertension was present in 24.8%. Based on the Berlin Questionnaire stratification for risk of OSA, 39% were considered as high-risk patients for OSA. In the primary care setting, the prevalence of symptoms of OSA among middle-aged Saudi women is very high. Almost 4 out of 10 middle-aged Saudi women are at risk for OSA, and may benefit from proper evaluation for OSA