ABSTRACT
Purpose: Telepsychiatry, a subset of telemedicine, has been increasingly studied to meet the growing demands for psychiatric care. The utility of telepsychiatry is relevant now more than ever as the world endures the COVID-19 global pandemic. This paper describes the prior state and the changes that the COVID-19 outbreak brought to telepsychiatry in a selected group of Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Patients and Methods: We invited twelve early-career psychiatrists from different Arab nations to share information related to telepsychiatry in their respective countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The information was collected using a semi-structured guide. This was complemented by a search for relevant articles in five search engines using terms such as "COVID-19," "telepsychiatry," and "Arab world". Results: Before the pandemic, digital mental health services were provided in several Arab countries, mainly through hotlines and messaging services. The COVID-19 pandemic has marked a major shift in digital psychiatric services in the Arab MENA world, through the transformation of many clinics and some hospitals into digital mental health systems. Many non-governmental organizations also started remote initiatives for psychological support and psychiatric counseling. Three main barriers of patient-related, healthcare-related, and system-related hurdles of using telepsychiatry emanated from the analysis. Conclusion: The use of digital mental health services varies between different Arab countries. Even though some nations have laws that regulate the provision of such services, most struggle with multifactorial barriers. As affordable and attainable solutions cannot only rely on training and recruiting more psychiatrists, telepsychiatry would help meet the exceeding demands in the Arab world, particularly after the COVID-19 outbreak. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Diabetes-related distress and glycemic control are of a particular concern to primary care physicians because of the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on diabetic patients' lifestyle, psychological well-being and healthcare access. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between diabetes-related distress and glycemic control in diabetic patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in primary care settings during the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at primary healthcare clinics in a rural area in Egypt among 430 patients with T2DM during the period from September 2020 to June 2021. All patients were interviewed for their sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics. Diabetes-related distress was measured by the problem areas in the diabetes scale (PAID), where a total score of ≥40 indicated a severe diabetes-related distress. The most recent glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) measurements were used to indicate the glycemic control. Quantile regression model (0.50 quantile) was used to perform the multivariate analysis to identify significant factors associated with HbA1c level. RESULTS: Most of the participants had a suboptimal glycemic control (92.3%), while 13.3% had severe diabetes-related distress. HbA1c level was significantly and positively correlated with the total PAID score and all its sub-domains. Multivariate quantile regression revealed that obesity, multi-morbidity, and severe diabetes-related distress were the only significant determinants of the HbA1c median level. Obese patients had significantly higher median HbA1c compared to patients who were not obese (coefficient = 0.25, P < 0.001). Patients with two or more comorbidities (i.e., multimorbidity) had a significantly higher median HbA1c than patients with single or no chronic comorbidities (coefficient = 0.41, P < 0.001). Severe diabetes-related distress was significantly associated with higher median HbA1c compared to nonsevere diabetes-related distress (coefficient = 0.20, P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: Diabetes-related distress had a significant association with HbA1c level. Family physicians should implement multifaceted programs to optimize diabetes control and reduce any associated distress.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Telepsychiatry, a subset of telemedicine, has been increasingly studied to meet the growing demands for psychiatric care. The utility of telepsychiatry is relevant now more than ever as the world endures the COVID-19 global pandemic. This paper describes the prior state and the changes that the COVID-19 outbreak brought to telepsychiatry in a selected group of Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Patients and Methods: We invited twelve early-career psychiatrists from different Arab nations to share information related to telepsychiatry in their respective countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The information was collected using a semi-structured guide. This was complemented by a search for relevant articles in five search engines using terms such as "COVID-19," "telepsychiatry," and "Arab world". Results: Before the pandemic, digital mental health services were provided in several Arab countries, mainly through hotlines and messaging services. The COVID-19 pandemic has marked a major shift in digital psychiatric services in the Arab MENA world, through the transformation of many clinics and some hospitals into digital mental health systems. Many non-governmental organizations also started remote initiatives for psychological support and psychiatric counseling. Three main barriers of patient-related, healthcare-related, and system-related hurdles of using telepsychiatry emanated from the analysis. Conclusion: The use of digital mental health services varies between different Arab countries. Even though some nations have laws that regulate the provision of such services, most struggle with multifactorial barriers. As affordable and attainable solutions cannot only rely on training and recruiting more psychiatrists, telepsychiatry would help meet the exceeding demands in the Arab world, particularly after the COVID-19 outbreak. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant mental health toll on healthcare workers in Lebanon. We examined pandemic-related psychological distress among healthcare workers in a tertiary care medical center. One hundred and fifty participants completed an online questionnaire. About half showed a high risk of acute distress (58.7%) on the GHQ-28, while most (89.3%) scored low/moderate stress on the PSS-10. The IES-R revealed concern for post-traumatic stress in one-third of participants, significantly in nurses (p = 0.008) and those living with vulnerable individuals (p = 0.030). Mental health history did not increase the risk. Our findings highlight the need for early targeted interventions during the pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Physicians , Psychological Distress , Health Personnel/psychology , Humans , Lebanon/epidemiology , Tertiary Care CentersABSTRACT
While the detrimental ramifications of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental wellbeing of the general public continue to unravel, older adults seem to be at high risk. As the geriatric population continues to grow in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, it is essential to explore the influence of this outbreak on geriatric mental health, a topic often neglected. In this review, we depict the status of geriatric psychiatry in the Arab countries of the MENA region, exploring the variations from one nation to another. While some have a null exposure to the field, resources and expertise in other countries range from very limited to extensive. Furthermore, we highlight the measures implemented in the Arab region to address mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak;these tend to be insufficient when targeting the geriatric population. Finally, we provide short- and long-term recommendations to stakeholders that aim at enhancing the mental healthcare of older adults in the Arab countries of the MENA region, particularly during this pandemic.