ABSTRACT
Background Plastic surgery practices have changed drastically during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as most non-elective surgeries were deferred owing to the high presumed risk of infection transmission. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the patterns and characteristics of plastic surgery in an academic medical city. Methods This retrospective comparative study was conducted at King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We reviewed data from patient medical records during the pandemic period (from March 2, 2020, to December 31, 2020) and the corresponding pre-pandemic period, defined as the same timeframe in the preceding year (from March 2, 2019, to December 31, 2019). Results The total number of admitted patients in the pre-pandemic period was 479 and in the during-pandemic period was 254, indicating a 46.97% reduction in admission frequency. The median length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in 2020 than in 2019 (1.62 ± 1.74 days versus 2.13 ± 4.18, respectively, p = 0.011). The during-pandemic period was characterized by significantly higher frequencies of urgent procedures (9.8% versus 5.4% in 2020 and 2019, respectively, p = 0.025) and lower frequencies of elective procedures (90.2% vs. 94.4% in 2020 and 2019, respectively, p = 0.035) than the pre-pandemic period. Conclusion The number of plastic surgeries performed has decreased since the onset of the pandemic. However, the impact of the pandemic on plastic surgery practices remains unclear. Further studies are needed to determine the effects of this pandemic on patient outcomes.
ABSTRACT
Background: The objective structured practical examination (OSPE) is used as an assessment tool of laboratory practical sessions. This study described the design and implementation of peer-led mock OSPE for first- and second-year medical students, investigated the perception of the students of the peer-led mock OSPE and the impact of attending the mock OSPE on the performance. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Two mock OSPEs were designed and conducted by third-, fourth- and fifth- year medical students for year one and two. Each mock OSPE involved six stations. Thirty-three medical students facilitated the OSPE. The OSPEs were conducted prior to the summative end of block exams. Following the mock OSPEs, an online survey was sent to the participants to assess their satisfaction, quality and benefits of the mock OSPE. The study also evaluated the impact of the mock OSPE on students' performance. Results: Out of 313 first-year students, 279 (89.1%) attended the mock OSPE and out of 298 second-year students, 213 (71.5%) attended. A total of 192 (68.8%) first-year medical students and 102 (47.9%) second-year medical students completed the questionnaire. There was no significant difference between attending and non-attending the mock OSPE in the students' performance in the summative OSPE. The majority of students felt more confident, less anxious, and lowered the levels of stress after attending the mock OSPE. More than half of the students felt that attending the mock OSPE helped in easing the steps, better preparation, provided sufficient orientation, well explained the materials and helped them to learn the concept of the final OSPE. The majority of students found the mock OSPE stimulating. Conclusion: Attending the mock OSPE did not affect the students' performance in the summative OSPE. However, the peer-assessed mock OSPE improved the medical students' confidence and lowered the anxiety associated with OSPE.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: Arabs have a right-to-left language and engage in favoring of the right side or limb when implementing daily routine practices. The purpose of this research is to explore the effect this cultural attitude might have on pseudoneglect, by comparing with a southeast Asian sample that has a left-to-right language structure. Methods: Participants were from two separate ethnic groups (Arabs and Filipinos), residing in Saudi Arabia, healthy individals 18 years and above were allowed to volunteer in the study. The participants were recruited at King Saud University Medical City and the general community by both convenience and snowball sampling. Social demographic information such as gender, age, years of education, dominant hand, was also documented. The line bisection task (LBT) contained 36 randomly assorted lines of three different lengths placed at five different locations on a white sheet. The percent deviation score (PDS) was used to quantify pseudo-neglect. Tests of statistical significance including t-tests and mixed-effects regression were performed to determine if differences existed among different demographic variables or among line properties, respectively. Results: A total of 256 were enrolled (Arabs 52.3%). The overall PDS mean and standard deviation (SD) was -0.64 (2.87), p = 0.0004, which shows a significant leftward deviation in the entire cohort. PDS was -1.26 (2.68) in Filipinos, and -0.08 (2.94) in Arabs. The difference was statically significant (p < 0.0001). Mixed effects model showed positive changes in the PDS value as the length of the line increased (p < 0.0001) and as the line was more rightward placed (p < 0.0001). However, Filipino participants would still exhibit negative changes in the PDS value in comparison to Arabs (p < 0.0001); There were no significant associations between PDS and other factors such as age, years of education and gender. Conclusion: Differences found here between two distinct ethnic groups support the hypothesis that certain cultural aspects such as language direction and other cultural practices influence direction and degree of pseudo-neglect.
