Epilepsy first aid awareness among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting more than 50 million human lives of all ages, its social, physical and psychological implications is of huge concern. The current study and as a continuation of epilepsy knowledge assessment projects conducted by our research team is aimed to assess the knowledge of healthcare workers regarding epilepsy first aid in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out from 2020 to 2021. Results: During the study period, 272 healthcare workers were recruited; participants were males and females from different nationalities in various Saudi Arabian cities, possess diverse qualifications, and belong to several healthcare-related professions. The question, "Did you witness an epileptic seizure"? was answered as "Yes" by 42% of participants, and in response to the question "If you know that this patient struggles during seizure attacks," 58% of respondents stated that they would not call an ambulance. Moreover, the question "Put something in his/her mouth to prevent tongue biting" was incorrectly answered as "Yes" by 42% of respondents, and the question "Try to catch him/her and stop his/her movement" in order to control the attack was answered "Yes" by 21% of respondents. Furthermore, almost 90% of healthcare participants do not know how to use the Vagus Nerve Stimulation device. The mean knowledge score among participants was 23.7; sex, as well as type of higher qualification obtained, was found to be significantly associated with the score of knowledge. Conclusion: Knowledge toward epilepsy and epilepsy first aid among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia was found fragile. Further research is appreciated to support the current findings.

Public awareness of first-aid management of seizures in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: First aid measures in cases of epileptic seizures are crucial. Misconceptions about seizure first-aid measures are probably common. Most of the previous data focused on teachers and healthcare providers. The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of seizure first-aid measures and their associated factors in a community sample in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out using an online questionnaire between July 2020 and February 2021. Those who had never heard of epilepsy and healthcare workers were excluded. Overall and individual scores were calculated for first-aid measures during and after the seizures as well as calling the ambulance. RESULTS: A total of 1542 participants were included in the study. The overall awareness score of seizure first-aid measures was 57.3%. The awareness of the need to call the ambulance in special circumstances was the highest individual score (78.3%), followed by measures after the seizure (54.2%), and finally measures during the seizure (48.4%). For the latter, the awareness of injury prevention measures was the highest (74.9%), while the awareness of treatment options was the lowest (12.2%). Overall awareness score was significantly higher in older age (p = 0.015), female gender (p < 0.001), divorced status (p = 0.014), knowing someone with epilepsy (p < 0.001), attending a course or workshop about seizure first-aid (p < 0.001), watching a video on seizure first-aid on any platform (p < 0.001), and having basic life support training (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The awareness of seizure first-aid measures is still inadequate among the public in Saudi Arabia. The current finding underscores the importance of simulation videos on social media and/or field-training campaigns to improve the public awareness of seizure first-aid measures.

A timed Phalen's test predicts abnormal electrophysiology in carpal tunnel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies reported variable sensitivity and specificity of the Phalen test. We investigated whether a timed Phalen's test (TPT) could predict abnormal nerve conduction studies (NCS) results in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). METHODS: Patients with CTS were consecutively recruited. A neurologist confirmed the clinical diagnosis of CTS and recorded the TPT before NCS were performed. Another neurologist, blinded to the TPT, graded the severity of NCS. The TPT sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. RESULTS: In total, 403 patients with 706 hands were recruited and diagnosed with CTS; 465 hands had positive TPT, and 611 hands showed abnormal NCS results. A positive TPT at ≤ 10 s had a specificity of 96.8% and a PPV of 96.6% in predicting abnormal NCS. The sensitivity and NPV of TPT were insignificant. DISCUSSION: A positive TPT at ≤ 10 s can be useful in predicting NCS abnormalities in patients with CTS.