Impact of Patient-Centered and Self-Care Education on Diabetes Control in a Family Practice Setting in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic and complex medical disease that leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Patient-centered diabetes education that emphasizes active patient involvement, self, and shared care constitutes a substantial and essential component of the comprehensive diabetes management approach. Objectives: To assess the impact of patient-centered diabetes education sessions on the prescribed treatment plan in controlling diabetes and other related cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: In a pre-experimental pretest-posttest one group study design, all referred patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) to the diabetes educator clinic (n = 130 patients) during the period of 6 months from January to July 2021 were subjected to multiple and consecutive patient-centered diabetes education sessions, based on the framework published by the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialties (ADCES), in addition to their usual treatment plan. Demographic, social, and biological data were obtained at the baseline, three months, and six months after the intervention. Nonparametric Friedman and Cochran's Q tests for related samples were applied to examine the impact of this educational intervention on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and other associated cardiovascular risks. The results of 130 patients with T2DM showed a significant reduction of mean systolic blood pressure "SBP" (p = 0.015), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (p < 0.001), fasting blood sugar "FBS" (p < 0.001), total cholesterol (p < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein (p < 0.001), and triglyceride (p < 0.001), and significant rise of mean high-density lipoprotein (p = 0.011). At three and six months after the intervention, 43% and 58% of patients showed improved HbA1c levels. The mean HbA1c was reduced from 10.2% at the beginning of the study to 8.7% (p < 0.001) after six months. Moreover, a significant reduction in the prevalence of obesity (p = 0.018), high FBS (p = 0.011), and high SBP (p = 0.022) was detected. Conclusions: This study showed a considerable positive impact of diabetes education and patient-centered care on optimizing glycemic and other cardiovascular risk control. The needs of certain patients with T2DM should be addressed individually to achieve the best possible outcomes. Further research is needed to explore the long-term benefits of this intervention.

Perception of Parents Towards COVID-19 Vaccine for Children in Saudi Population.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease that is caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). With the rapid spread of this pandemic, vaccination has been a breakthrough solution. At the time of conducting the study, COVID-19 vaccines were only approved for adults 18 years and older. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the parents' likelihood of vaccinating their children once the recommendation for pediatric vaccination is established. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which a self-administered survey was distributed to all parents visiting National Guard primary healthcare centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaires were distributed to parents attending primary care clinics. Data collected in the questionnaire include demographics (gender, marital status, educational level, and age), questions assessing parental perception towards the COVID-19 vaccine, and willingness to offer the vaccine to their children. Results A total of 333 respondents completed the survey with a response rate of 83.3%. Half of the participants were males and the other half were females with the majority (45.6%) aged between 31 and 40 years old. In terms of parental acceptability of vaccinating their children against COVID-19, 53.7% of the parents were willing to vaccinate their children as opposed to 27% who were reluctant to do so. Of those who refused, 97.5% and 96.6% cited lack of information and evidence, respectively, as the most common reasons for not accepting COVID-19 vaccine. We have found that age of the parents, especially those 31-40 years old, age of their children, especially 4-12 years old, and previous acceptance of the seasonal influenza vaccine were significantly associated with higher parental acceptability of COVID-19 vaccine. In contrast, gender, marital status and educational level were not statistically significant factors. Conclusion As COVID-19 spread globally and made people's lives in danger, vaccination became a highly important measure to halt the spread of the disease. Parents are now given the choice of protecting their beloved children from COVID-19 infection and its possible complications. Based on our findings, we noticed that majority of parents are going to vaccinate their children. In addition, some certain age groups of parents and children were significantly associated with decreased vaccine hesitancy to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Factors and Determinants for Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccine in a Medical University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an infection that is caused by the novel coronavirus. COVID-19 has severely affected the public health by causing more than 200 million cases and four million deaths worldwide. There are, presently, no specific antiviral treatments for COVID-19. As immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions to prevent this infectious disease, a number of vaccines, around 112, have been developed. In Saudi Arabia, many vaccination campaigns have already started. There are currently four approved COVID-19 vaccines but only three are available for use in Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which a web-based survey was distributed to medical students in their clinical years at the College of Medicine in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 209 questionnaires were distributed. The survey assessed the demographic data, perception towards COVID-19 vaccine, barriers and predictors for accepting COVID-19 vaccine. Results Two-hundred and four respondents completed the survey with a response rate of 96.7%. Overall, 118 of the participants were males and 86 were females. Sixty-six percent of our participants had taken the vaccine. Of those, males and females were distributed equally in half. Fifty-three percent of the participants who had taken the vaccine aged 21-23. This age group had a significant effect on acceptance of the vaccine. Most common deterrent to taking COVID-19 vaccine was safety issues despite not having a statistical significance. In terms of motivators, the majority thought that fear of getting COVID-19 infection was the most important motivator to taking COVID-19 vaccine, which was statistically significant as well. Conclusion In the setting of spreading COVID-19 infection, the vaccine is still the solution to halting infection spread. Based on our findings, we see that there was a high acceptance rate (66.2%) of COVID-19 vaccine.

Physician's Perception Toward Using Telemedicine During COVID-19 Pandemic in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December of 2019. Since that time, medical services in Saudi Arabia have adapted to the situation by delivering medical care via virtual clinics. Therefore, the aim of the study is to assess physicians' perception and the level of satisfaction with telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that included family medicine consultants and fellows who had used telemedicine in primary health care centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was conducted using an online validated questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed by 219 family medicine consultants and fellows, after obtaining their informed consent. The data that were extracted from the questionnaire included demographics, level of satisfaction, and questions related to their experience with telemedicine. Results Two hundred and nineteen participants enrolled in this study with 50.6% males and 49.4% females. The overall level of physicians' satisfaction with telemedicine was 64.3%. However, only one-third preferred telemedicine over office visits. Of these, 60% were males and 40% were females. The only factor that had a statistically significant effect on the preference of office visits or telemedicine was time efficiency (p-value < 0.001). Of those who preferred office visits over telemedicine, 52% of them cited ease of discussion and the ability to make a comprehensive physical examination as the most important reasons for choosing office visits. Technologic issues were the least important factor for choosing either clinic (4.1%). Of those who preferred telemedicine, avoiding contact with patients suspected of COVID-19 was the most commonly cited factor (27.4%). Family medicine physicians face multiple barriers while using telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most commonly cited barrier was the inability to make a full and comprehensive assessment of the patient. Conclusions In the setting of highly transmissible disease epidemics, telemedicine has a lot of potential for providing quick and safe care that is appropriate for screening and management. Based on our findings, using telemedicine should be encouraged by improving physicians' skills in this field since telemedicine is a crucial step to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and provide community-wide treatment.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Prostate Cancer and Its Screening Methods Among Primary Care Patients in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Aim The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice toward prostate cancer and its screening methods among patients attending primary care facilities in King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a random sample of 385 men. The questionnaire was distributed using a non-random sampling method (convenience sampling) that included 13 questions that assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of adult male patients toward prostate cancer and its screening methods. The questions were divided into three general questions that test the knowledge, four questions that analyze patients' opinions (attitude), and six questions on how patients are practicing screening methods with questions three and six being dependent on the answers to the questions that come before them. Results Around 64% of the participants had adequate knowledge about prostate cancer. Respondents with higher socioeconomic status demonstrated a higher level of knowledge about prostate cancer than the other groups. Regarding the attitude, more than 70% of the respondents believed that it is very important to screen for prostate cancer. About 23% of the participants had done some form of prostate screening test either prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or digital rectal exam (DRE); most of them were men older than 50 years. Conclusions The majority of the respondents to our survey demonstrated high general knowledge about prostate cancer. However, practice toward prostate screening methods was significantly low regardless of the positive attitude on the importance of screening. More data should be obtained to investigate the potential multifactorial reasons for such a low practice.

Patient satisfaction with virtual clinic during Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in primary healthcare, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, was first reported in Wuhan, China in December of 2019. Since that time, medical services in Saudi Arabia have adapted to the situation by delivering medical care via virtual clinics. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess patients' level of satisfaction with virtual clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among patients who had experienced virtual clinics in primary healthcare centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online validated questionnaire was sent to all participants who had at least one virtual visit between March 2020 to July 2020. The data sought included demographics, level of satisfaction and questions related to their experience with virtual clinics. Computed frequencies and percentages for categorical variables, and median, mean, and standard deviation for continuous variables. Satisfaction scores were compared between groups using Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis test. RESULTS: A total of 439 patients completed the questionnaire (response rate 97.5%); 54% were male. The participants were divided into three age groups: 18-39, 40-59, and ≥60 years. Overall level of patients' satisfaction with virtual clinic was 68.1%. Factors statistically significantly associated with satisfaction included gender, age group and level of education (post-graduate and middle school) and being well-informed on the use of telemedicine. Specific age groups that were significant were 18-39 and 40-59 years; 50.2% of the males found telemedicine very convenient, compared to only 36.1% females. Family medicine clinics were the most commonly visited virtual clinics, whereas obstetrics and gynecology clinics were the least attended virtual clinics. The inability to meet the health-care professional face-to-face was reported by 53.8% as the most important disadvantage. CONCLUSION: This study shows a high level of satisfaction with virtual clinics in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the service being relatively new in healthcare service in the country. Our study demonstrated that satisfaction was linked to age, gender, education and the type of clinic used.

The Use of Over-the-Counter Sleep Aid Containing Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride Among Saudis.

Background Diphenhydramine is a first-generation H1 receptor antihistamine that is usually used for the treatment of allergy, insect bites such as mosquitos, bee stings, and some types of skin rashes. However, it possesses antiparkinsonian, antitussive, antiemetic, and most importantly hypnotic properties. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, frequency of use, and dosage of over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aid containing diphenhydramine hydrochloride used among Saudis. Material and Methods The study used a descriptive cross-sectional design conducted among the Saudi population. An online self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the selected Saudi nationality using social media platforms. The subjects included were Saudis aged 15 years or older, literate in using social media. The questionnaire included basic demographic characteristics, previous and current history of medication use that contains diphenhydramine hydrochloride, its side effects, and other related behavior of using, such as frequency of use and dosage. Results A total of 414 respondents were recruited (51% males and 49% females). Previous and current use of medications that contain diphenhydramine hydrochloride constituted 87.2% and 31.9%, respectively. The most common reason for using sleep aid was insomnia (52.1%). Dizziness or imbalance was the most commonly reported side effect. The Chi-square test revealed that the age group of ≤25 years (p = 0.044), female gender (p = 0.040), being a student (p = 0.015), current use of sleeping aid medications (p < 0.001), and the use of other medications (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with increased use of sleep aid medications. Conclusion The excessive use of over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aid medications containing diphenhydramine hydrochloride was widely prevalent among the Saudi population. Younger female students constitute the majority of OTC sleep aid medication users.

Attitude of medical students at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences toward family medicine as a future specialty.

BACKGROUND: Owing to the rising population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the need for family physicians is growing. The number of family physicians who would be available in the health service in future is dependent on the attitudes of medical students because their choice of specialty is a major factor in satisfying this demand. The aim of the study was to evaluate the attitudes of medical students to family medicine as a future career. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. A total of 308 students were randomly selected from problem-based learning groups. Data were collected using a 25-item validated questionnaire, and Excel and SPSS were used for data entry and analysis. Mean and standard deviation were used to describe numerical data and frequencies and percentages to describe categorical data. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 308 medical students, 201 (65.3%) of whom were male, completed the questionnaire. Majority of the students (229 [74.3%]) agreed that family physicians make important contributions to medicine although family medicine was one of the least preferred specialties of the students. CONCLUSIONS: Most students were aware of the importance of family medicine; however, only a few of them chose this specialty. Further studies should be conducted to identify the factors that influence medical students' decisions in their choice of family medicine as a future career.