Undergraduate Students' Experience of Dental Education Programs across Saudi Arabia: An Exploratory Study.

Background: Students' satisfaction surveys are valuable tools for assessing and improving the quality of education being imparted. Limited data are available from Saudi Arabia regarding students experience at halfway through an undergraduate dental program. Objective: To determine students' perception of their halfway experience on various attributes of the quality of dental education programs in public dental schools across Saudi Arabia. Methods: This exploratory study included all students from four major public universities who had completed their third year of undergraduate dental education during the academic year 2022-23. A previously validated, self-administered, 23-item Students Experience Survey was modified and used to collect data regarding the following five factors: course characteristics, infrastructure and facilities, learning resources, instructor characteristics, and program efficacy. Results: The questionnaire was administered to 296 students, of which 252 (85.1%) responded. Overall, 84% of the students had a positive experience regarding the quality of the dental education programs. Females reported significantly higher positive experiences than males (mean score: 4.36 vs. 4.21, respectively; P = 0.042). Course characteristics (P = 0.041), instructors' characteristics (P = 0.002), and program efficacy (P = 0.009) were significant predictors of students' overall experience. Conclusion: This study found that the majority of students had a positive halfway experience with the quality of dental education programs offered in Saudi Arabia. The significant predictors of satisfaction identified in this study can be useful for policymakers to further improve satisfaction levels.

A Review of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications have transformed healthcare. This study is based on a general literature review uncovering the role of AI in healthcare and focuses on the following key aspects: (i) medical imaging and diagnostics, (ii) virtual patient care, (iii) medical research and drug discovery, (iv) patient engagement and compliance, (v) rehabilitation, and (vi) other administrative applications. The impact of AI is observed in detecting clinical conditions in medical imaging and diagnostic services, controlling the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with early diagnosis, providing virtual patient care using AI-powered tools, managing electronic health records, augmenting patient engagement and compliance with the treatment plan, reducing the administrative workload of healthcare professionals (HCPs), discovering new drugs and vaccines, spotting medical prescription errors, extensive data storage and analysis, and technology-assisted rehabilitation. Nevertheless, this science pitch meets several technical, ethical, and social challenges, including privacy, safety, the right to decide and try, costs, information and consent, access, and efficacy, while integrating AI into healthcare. The governance of AI applications is crucial for patient safety and accountability and for raising HCPs' belief in enhancing acceptance and boosting significant health consequences. Effective governance is a prerequisite to precisely address regulatory, ethical, and trust issues while advancing the acceptance and implementation of AI. Since COVID-19 hit the global health system, the concept of AI has created a revolution in healthcare, and such an uprising could be another step forward to meet future healthcare needs.

Factors Influencing Interns' Satisfaction with the Internship Training Programme Offered at Saudi Medical Schools.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the perceptions of medical interns with regards to the internship training programme offered at Saudi medical schools and to explore factors influencing their overall satisfaction with this progamme. METHODS: This exploratory study was conducted at four medical schools in Saudi Arabia between July 2017 and June 2018. All medical interns undergoing internship training at the selected medical schools during the 2017-2018 academic year were invited to participate in the survey. A questionnaire covering 10 internship dimensions and including a total of 76 items and one global item was designed to assess the medical interns' satisfaction with the training programme. RESULTS: A total of 295 interns returned completed questionnaires (response rate: 92%). Overall, the interns' satisfaction with all 10 internship dimensions was high (mean score: ≥3.6). A multiple regression analysis indicated that various factors were significant predictors of medical interns' overall satisfaction with the internship training programme, including orientation, training site services, supervision, relationships with their superiors and hospital activities (P <0.050 each). CONCLUSION: Medical interns were highly satisfied with the internship training programme offered at Saudi medical schools, with various factors found to significantly influence overall satisfaction. The findings of this study may help policymakers in Saudi Arabia to improve the internship training programme so as to ensure medical interns' overall satisfaction and potentially improve their learning outcomes and clinical training.

Challenges facing healthcare leadership in attaining accreditation of teaching hospitals.

PURPOSE: This paper aims to examine the challenges faced by health-care leadership in teaching hospitals in attaining accreditation for their institutions. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This paper is based on a study of current literature on health-care leadership, hospital accreditation and quality of patient care and identifies the challenges facing health-care leadership in attaining accreditation for teaching hospitals. FINDINGS: Based on a review and analysis of literature, infrastructure, finance, legal support, workforce recruitment and training, documentation and technology are identified as challenges faced by health-care leadership in teaching hospitals. The key challenges facing health-care leadership with respect to medical education and clinical research are found to be integration of education into hospital operations, compliance with all regulatory and professional requirements and adequacy of resources in executing research programs. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study draws the attention of health-care leadership in teaching hospitals on the challenges they face in obtaining accreditation for their institutions so that they may develop appropriate strategies to overcome them.

Implementation of Digital Health Technology at Academic Medical Centers in Saudi Arabia.

Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) in Saudi Arabia are dedicated to providing high-quality patient care and promoting the health and wellbeing of its citizens. Additionally, they provide medical education and conduct research in a wide range of clinical disciplines. A recent global trend in academic hospitals with mandates similar to those in Saudi Arabia is that they have started utilizing digital health technology in a bid to increase efficiency and improve the quality of patient care. This paper takes the position that such digital health technologies should also be utilized in AMC settings in Saudi Arabia. Electronic health records (EHRs), smartphones, video-imaging technologies, virtual desktop infrastructures, mobile EHR access, and smart-beds can help AMCs serve patients more effectively. Rural people can be connected to consultants at AMCs using these technologies using virtual self-care tools. Validation of new digital health devices can be performed in collaboration with digital health partners and serve to enrich the knowledge of medical students in the area of digital health. This review aims to draw the attention of stakeholders to the need to implement digital health technology in AMCs in Saudi Arabia and help improve the quality of healthcare.

Impact of a multicomponent hand hygiene intervention strategy in reducing infection rates at a university hospital in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Few studies have reported the correlation between hand hygiene (HH) practices and infection rates in Saudi Arabia. This work was aimed to study the effect of a multicomponent HH intervention strategy in improving HH compliance and reducing infection rates at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia between January 2014 and December 2016. METHODS: A yearlong multicomponent HH intervention, which included various strategies recommended by the World Health Organization, was introduced. HH compliance among staff and infection rates observed in the inpatient wards were assessed and compared at pre- and post-interventional phases. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in mean HH compliance from 50.17% to 71.75% after the intervention (P < 0.05). Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates decreased from 3.37 to 2.59 and from 3.73 to 1.75, respectively (P < 0.05). HH compliance was found to be negatively correlated with HAI (r = -0.278) and CAUTI (r = -0.523) rates. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that multicomponent intervention is effective in improving HH compliance, and that an increase in HH compliance among hospital staff decreases infection rates. Further studies on cost-effectiveness of such a model could augment to these findings.

A New Performance Improvement Model: Adding Benchmarking to the Analysis of Performance Indicator Data.

BACKGROUND: A performance improvement model was developed that focuses on the analysis and interpretation of performance indicator (PI) data using statistical process control and benchmarking. PIs are suitable for comparison with benchmarks only if the data fall within the statistically accepted limit-that is, show only random variation. Specifically, if there is no significant special-cause variation over a period of time, then the data are ready to be benchmarked. METHODS: The proposed Define, Measure, Control, Internal Threshold, and Benchmark model is adapted from the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) model. The model consists of the following five steps: Step 1. Define the process; Step 2. Monitor and measure the variation over the period of time; Step 3. Check the variation of the process; if stable (no significant variation), go to Step 4; otherwise, control variation with the help of an action plan; Step 4. Develop an internal threshold and compare the process with it; Step 5.1. Compare the process with an internal benchmark; and Step 5.2. Compare the process with an external benchmark. RESULTS: The steps are illustrated through the use of health care-associated infection (HAI) data collected for 2013 and 2014 from the Infection Control Unit, King Fahd Hospital, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. CONCLUSION: Monitoring variation is an important strategy in understanding and learning about a process. In the example, HAI was monitored for variation in 2013, and the need to have a more predictable process prompted the need to control variation by an action plan. The action plan was successful, as noted by the shift in the 2014 data, compared to the historical average, and, in addition, the variation was reduced. The model is subject to limitations: For example, it cannot be used without benchmarks, which need to be calculated the same way with similar patient populations, and it focuses only on the "Analyze" part of the DMAIC model.

Health science students' attitude towards research training programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Reliability and validity of the questionnaire instrument.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to determine the validity and reliability of a questionnaire tool for measuring students' attitudes toward components relevant to research training programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The paper reports the responses of 564 Saudi Arabian students from seven government universities to the questionnaire comprising 16 items on 3 conceptual subscales, which measured students' attitude to research activities in the college; students' opinion of faculty involvement in research; and infrastructural facilities in the college. The results of this study provide the final scale, with all the 16 items of the initial Likert scale, for which strong evidence was obtained. RESULTS: Results indicated that the students' attitude toward the research (SAR) scale had three latent factors, which explained 62% of the variance: The three subscales measured includes: (i) Research activities offered in the college, (ii) students' opinion of faculty involvement in research, and (iii) infrastructural facilities offered in the college for research. The full scale including three subscales had good internal consistency (r s = 0.72 and α = 0.77 for full scale; and α between 0.71 and 0.79 for three subscales). CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of reliability and validity of the SAR scale for the measurement of students' attitudes toward research training programs in Saudi Arabian Universities. The research findings will provide the basis for further research on health science students.

The future of the curriculum of allied (applied) health sciences in saudi arabia.

BACKGROUND: Despite the dearth of allied health professionals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the demand for them has increased. Like any other geographic location, KSA, has its own pattern of diseases. Therefore, the curriculum of the health professionals should be appropriately designed to meet the health needs of hospitals and clinics. OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate that changes in the curriculum of Allied (Applied) Health Sciences in KSA are necessary, and how these changes should be implemented. This paper also recommends that these changes must: (1) be based on the current needs of the community, (2) satisfy the health requirements of the Saudi community as well as the realities of its health practices. The Allied Health Colleges must: (1) undertake a long-term review of the curriculum, (2) ensure that the curriculum reform is continuous, (3) target faculty development, (4) target student evaluation.