Prevalence of antibiotic misuse in cases of pneumonia and diarrhea in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Antibiotic misuse is a major public health issue with long-term repercussions. Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of pneumonia and diarrhea, with an emphasis on antibiotic misuse. Methodology: This study included 410 participants (217 fathers and 193 mothers), of whom 239 purchased antibiotics for their children without a prescription, whereas 171 had a prescription or were unsure if one was required. Results: Antibiotics were used incorrectly by 58.1% of respondents. About 51.2% of participants said they were taking two antibiotics at the same time. Around 30% of people admitted to using antibiotics inefficiently. The most prevalent reason for use was "viral and bacterial," followed by "viral," and then "bacterial," with 35%, 21%, and 20%, respectively. In addition, 22.4% of patients have used antibiotics for an unknown reason. Conclusion: Saudi parents of children with pneumonia and diarrhea abuse antibiotics. Saudi legislation banning medications without a prescription has helped reduce antibiotic abuse, but more community-based education and awareness are needed.

Profiles of Independent-Comorbidity Groups in Senior COVID-19 Patients Reveal Low Fatality Associated with Standard Care and Low-Dose Hydroxychloroquine over Antivirals.

Introduction: The lack of feasible therapies and comorbidities aggravate the COVID-19 case-fatality rate (CFR). However, reports examining CFR associations with diabetes, concomitant cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, and chronic liver disease (CLD) are limited. More studies assessing hydroxychloroquine (Hcq) and antivirals are needed. Purpose: To examine associations of COVID-19 CFR in comorbid patient groups each with single comorbidities and after treatment with Hcq, favipiravir, and dexamethasone (Dex), either alone or in combination versus standard care. Methods: Using statistical analysis, we descriptively determined these associations among 750 COVID-19 patient groups during the last quarter of 2021. Results: A diabetes comorbidity (40%, n=299) showed twice the fatality (CFR 14%) of the others (CFR 7%; P=0.001). Hypertension (Htn) was the second-commonest comorbidity (29.5%, n=221), with similar CFR to diabetes (15% and 7% for Htn and non-Htn, respectively), but with higher significance (P=0.0006167). Although only 4% (n=30) heart failure (HF) was reported, the CFR (40%) was much higher than in those without it (8%). A similar rate (4%) for chronic kidney disease was reported, with CFRs of 33% and 9% among those with and without it, respectively (P=0.00048). Ischemic heart disease was 11% (n=74), followed by chronic liver disease (0.4%) and history of smoking (1%); however, these were not significant due to the sample sizes. Treatment indicated standard care and Hcq alone or in combination were superior (CFR of 4% and 0.5%, respectively) compared to favipiravir (25%) or Dex (38.5%) independently or in combination (35.4%). Furthermore, Hcq performed well (CFR 9%) when combined with Dex (9%; P=4.28-26). Conclusion: The dominance of diabetes and other comorbidities with significant association with CFR implied existence of a common virulence mechanism. The superiority of low-dose Hcq and standard care over antivirals warrants further studies.

Psychological impact and stress factors among Ha'il medical students post COVID19 pandemic.

The current COVID-19 pandemic frightfully threatened the whole world, and people in different countries were demanded to be quarantined due to possible contact with the infection. High mortality rate, the spread of COVID19 and the propagation of fake news in social media programs created fear and anxiety among majority of society especially, medical students. One of the most essential changes during the covid-19 was the termination of teaching lectures in physical presence and its replacement by virtual online lectures. Circumstances like these have negative impact on the mental health of medical students. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on medical students' learning and the effect of distressing situation they experienced, psychological and educational variables specifically during return to physical attendance in college and the impact of these variables of probably affecting factors like age, gender, marital status, transition of preclinical years to clinical years. A Cross-sectional study was completed among medical students at UOH, KSA. The data are collected by distributing an online questionnaire. Statistical analysis has been done with Microsoft Power BI. 14.82% of 5th year female participants were unable to stop worrying for different things while 10.54% of male participant were in the 1st year. Large numbers of students who have increased the number of times they wash their hands are found in med3 and med4 while 27.92% agree and 29.05% strongly agree of whole years of study. 45.29% of students were having mental pressure before online session due to internet connection while 51.55% had decreased motivation since the shift to online learning. Data shows that highest numbers of participants who were having past illness and anxious were in age group 21-23 in both male and female. The majority of students was having fear toward returning in physical presence and preferred not to have on- college education. Hence, it is recommended to encourage students and reduce stress by providing with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) course.

Metabolic syndrome awareness and attitudes among family medicine residents in Riyadh 2019-2020.

CONTEXT: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a group of metabolism diseases which includes over increase of the body weight, high insulin levels, elevated blood pressure, and abnormal level of cholesterol; these disorders may increase the risk of evolving coronary heart diseases. Primary health care physicians are responsible for caring for general patients and thus must have sufficient knowledge about MS, positive attitudes, and good medical practices. AIMS: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of family medicine residents in Riyadh regarding the diagnosis, management, and preventive measures of MS. METHODS AND MATERIAL: This study is a cross-sectional; it was conducted on family medicine residents in Riyadh using a survey to investigate the demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the residents regarding MS. RESULTS: This study included 224 physicians, of whom 35.3% had a high level of knowledge, 63.8% had positive attitudes, and 50% had good practices. No factors were associated with knowledge level; conversely, male gender and training at the KFMC were significantly associated with attitude (P = 0.009 and 0.004, respectively), and training level R1 and R2 were significantly related to the level of practice (P = 0.013 and 0.015, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The family medicine residents reported a low knowledge level; however, more than half of them had positive attitudes and half had good practices.

The influence of social media on body dissatisfaction among college students.

BACKGROUND: Social media is growing rapidly in the last few years and it became daily used by individuals, especially adolescents and young adults. Although social media has several benefits such as easy communication between individuals, it has also other drawbacks and negative influence on individuals. AIM: To assess the association between the level of social media use and body dissatisfaction among male and female college students and to examine these associations according to different types of social media. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted on students at King Saud University in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia, using self-administrated questionnaire "The Body Shape Questionnaire BSQ-8." Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software (Version 21.0). RESULTS: The present study included 204 students, females were more dominant (53.9%). Around 47.1% of participants spent >4 h, and the most used type of social media used was Twitter (46.6%). There were 71.1% who had low dissatisfaction. Several factors significantly had an impact on the level of dissatisfaction including upper class status (P = 0.015), using social media for 3-4 h (P = 0.05) and suing social media for more than 4 h (P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: There was low level of dissatisfaction level among students, however this level didn't differ between gender, so social media in Saudi Arabia didn't have the huge effect seen in other countries, especially among females.

Patient satisfaction with services at the Family Medicine Employee Clinic in a tertiary hospital in Riyadh.

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction reflects the healthcare quality of the facility. Therefore, it is important to determine satisfaction level of the patient satisfaction in order to improve services'quality provided to patients. AIM: to assess the satisfaction level of patients at the Family Medicine Employee Clinic at a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This study is a cross-sectional that included 224 patients. METHOD: The study was conducted in King Fahad Medical City at the Family Medicine Employee Clinic between March and December 2019. Self-administered questionnaires were used to gather the data. The questionnaire included questions regarding the demographics of patients and questions to examine their satisfaction with the services provided by the clinic. SPSS version 21 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The study comprised 90 patients, 71.1% of which were female; 77.8% of participants lived in Riyadh; 92.2% of patients were in the age range of 25-75 years; 51.1% were single; 56.7% had income lower than 10,000 SR; 63.3% had college education; and 95.6% were employees of King Fahd Hospital. The mean ± SD of satisfaction was determined to be at 8.6 ± 1.7. There was a significant inverse correlation between income and satisfaction (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Patients reportedly showed high levels of satisfaction, especially regarding the experience of nurses, ease of registration and making appointments, treatment by receptionists, and cleanliness of clinics. The results of the survey reflect the effectiveness and efforts of the employees of the clinic.

Awareness of folic acid use among Saudi women attending outpatient clinics at King Fahad Medical City.

CONTEXT: Women should consume folic acid (FA) during pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) in their children. Awareness of FA use, dosage, and administration can affect the risk of child malformations and other pregnancy complications. AIMS: The primary objective of this study was to assess knowledge about the role of FA intake among Saudi women of reproductive age. The secondary objective was to ascertain the use of FA supplements in Saudi Arabia and the age of gestation at which FA is taken. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study used a simple random sampling method for selecting Saudi women attending outpatient clinics at King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A random sample of 600 Saudi women aged 18-45 years was evaluated for their awareness of FA use. Participants completed a questionnaire comprising 16 questions. Six questions were demographic, and the remaining 10 fulfilled the study aims. RESULTS: Women had high awareness about FA. Survey responses showed that 42.2% of women knew that FA should be taken before pregnancy, and 80.1% were aware that it prevents NTDs. A total of 46.8% women took FA during preconception. Healthcare professionals provided the information in 69.7% of the cases. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the lower number of deformities in Saudi Arabia is due to greater awareness of the importance of FA, which can likely be attributed to better education. Doctors and nurses should continue to encourage women to take FA supplements when planning their pregnancies.