ABSTRACT
Background Communication is essential in the medical sector, particularly in the emergency departments (ED), to provide appropriate patient care. Lack of patient history and large patient numbers, cultural variations, inadequate health literacy, and language difficulties can impact effective communication. Aim This study aims to examine language and communication barriers experienced by ED physicians in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, as well as to determine the effect of language barriers on patient care and explore possible methods to deal with language and communication barriers. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from April 8 to June 6, 2023. A total of 136 responses were collected from ED physicians at the six Ministry of Health Hospitals (MOH) in Makkah through a validated online survey. The data analysis was implemented using RStudio (R version 4.1.1). Result In this study, 136 participants' data were examined. Of note, one-quarter of ED physicians (25%; n=34) under study stated that they always experienced language barriers, whereas 64.7% (n=88) of them sometimes experienced these difficulties. More than half of the ED physicians (54.4%; n=74) stated that their patients had poor outcomes because of poor communication. Among those who responded positively to poor outcomes, ED physicians' suggestions to improve communication with patients included providing labels of the common scientific terminologies in different languages (59.6%; n=81) and providing courses to communicate in foreign languages (48.5%; n=66). Conclusion Exposure to language barriers among ED physicians in Makkah was slightly high. This may impact the patient's outcomes. Therefore, strategies to improve patient-physician communication are needed.
ABSTRACT
Background and aim A healthy lifestyle is defined as a way of living that reduces the likelihood of severe illness or early death. Factors required for a healthy lifestyle, such as regular physical activity, better sleep patterns, improved dietary habits, probable caffeine consumption, and decreased feelings of anxiety, are generally assumed to be important for high academic performance. This study aims to investigate the correlation between a healthy lifestyle and academic success among health profession students at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. By doing so, we could potentially lead to the implementation of targeted interventions to support students in achieving their best academic potential. Methods This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted among health profession students at Umm Al-Qura University. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic information and the impact of lifestyle characteristics on academic performance from October to November 2023. Data were analyzed using RStudio (R version 4.3.1). Results A total of 652 students participated in the study. The majority were between the ages of 18 and 25 years (97.2%, n=634). Females constituted the majority of the participants (69.9%, n=456). Regarding the field of study, the College of Medicine had the highest representation (52.9%, n=345). Regarding body mass index, the normal weight category was the most prevalent, encompassing 59.8% (n=390) of the participants. The results show that the participants generally had a good grade point average (GPA) in the range of 3.50 to 4.00. Also, the time spent on social media applications was not correlated with academic performance (P=0.575). Importantly, the majority of participants perceived that lifestyle habits impacted their academic performance. Conclusion This study found that unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as lack of physical activity, inadequate sleep, poor dietary choices, smoking, and mental health issues such as anxiety, have a negative impact on academic performance. Therefore, the dissemination of relevant knowledge is needed to promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle and raise students' awareness.
