Computer literacy of physicians among the hospitals of Makkah region

A confidential inquiry by the Directorate General of Health Affairs, Makkah region, Saudi Arabia, found physicians in different hospitals were reluctant to enter patients' related information in electronic medical record systems. One of the major issues raised was that they didn't have the required computer literacy. Our aim, therefore, was to conduct a survey to highlight the computer literacy among the physicians of Makkah region. This cross-sectional survey was performed from May to July 2009. A structured questionnaire of four A4 size paper was distributed among the physicians of the Makkah region working in seven different hospitals. The questionnaire contained questions on background knowledge of computers, i.e., [a] basic computer vocabulary knowledge [BCVK] [10 questions], [b] basic computer skills [BCS] [22 questions], [c] basic communication and internet skills [BCIS] [12 questions]. Response rate of 368, i.e., 81.6% of sample size [n = 451] was attained. The maximum response came from King Abdul Aziz Hospital [Taif], i.e., 79%. Overall BCVK, BCS and BCIS were the highest among the physicians of Alnoor Specialist Hospital, i.e., 71.3%, 91.4%, 87.7%, respectively. All the hospitals had a satisfactory level of BCVK, but levels of BCS and BCIS were above satisfactory except King Abdul Aziz Hospital [Jeddah] that showed a satisfactory level in BCIS. Majority of the physicians had a good or an excellent level of computer background knowledge that gave a prediction toward the issues of their non-promising attitude and beliefs about electronic data entry

Prevalence of intestinal parasites among patients of Al-Noor specialist hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites among patients of a tertiary care hospital. A total of 12,054 samples received from the outpatient as well as inpatient departments from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2009 in Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Stool examinations were performed by direct method and concentrated Techniques for all patients. Overall, the prevalence of intestinal parasites was 6.2% [740 cases]. Majority of patients were infected by Entamoeba histolytica [4.7%] followed by Giardia lamblia [1.3%], while Ankylostoma duodenal [0.02%] exhibited the minimum prevalence. Parasitic infections were more frequent in non-Saudis than Saudis patients [7.1% vs. 5.8%; p<0.05]. There was no significant difference between males and females regarding parasitic infections, with a female:male ratio of 1:1.08. There was a higher prevalence in patients under five years of age [9.1%], followed by patients aged 5-14 years [7.5%]. The notable finding from this study is the high prevalence of E. histolytica. Overall, parasitic infections were more prevalent in patients under five years of age and in non-Saudi nationals