ABSTRACT
Background Globally, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder that affects children. In 2011, there was an ADHD diagnosis prevalence of around 8% among children (4-17 years) in the US. ADHD-affected children are more prone to physical injuries such as physical trauma, accidental poisoning, burns, etc. This study was aimed to evaluate the association of ADHD with severe injuries, the influence of age and gender on this association, and the impact of ADHD medications on the frequency of such injuries. Methodology This study was conducted in three governmental and three private settings in Aseer region. The files of children who were diagnosed with ADHD in the study settings were reviewed for a 12-month time period. Data were extracted from the medical files using a pre-structured data extraction sheet to avoid errors and inter-rater bias. The extracted data included child gender, age, duration of disease, and injury-related data. A brief questionnaire had been applied to mothers regarding mothers' attitudes towards injuries among their children, adherence to medications, as well as the reasons for non-adherence to medications and clinical visits in a non-adherent group during the clinic visit. Results One hundred and sixty-three children with a diagnosis of ADHD completed the study. The affected children were aged between two and 15 years (mean: 7.8 ± 2.9 years). An exact of 116 (71.2%) children were males. An exact of 70 (42.9%) affected children had trauma. The most-reported traumas were superficial injuries (84.3%), burns (48.6%), fractures (37.1%), deep injuries (31.4%), and broken or lost teeth (28.6%). About 52% of the children were adherent to medications and their clinical visits. Among the non-adherent group, the most reported reasons were parents' care and attention (20.5%), followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and delay in visits times (16.7%). Regarding mothers' attitudes towards injuries among children with ADHD, 49.1% of the mothers agreed that there is an association between a child with ADHD and being traumatized while 22.7% said there was no relation. Conclusions In our cohort, the majority of the children with ADHD were boys at primary school age. Association of the history of the disease with trauma was not uncommon, and most injuries were not severe, but burns and deep injuries were reported among considered portions.
ABSTRACT
Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a great transition in the modalities of health care services, such as the telemedicine landscape, with some speed. Because of the lack of vaccines or effective therapies, social distancing and quarantine were the only widely accessible precautions, creating a compelling reason for alternatives for in-person care. Many countries applied teleconsultation or provided online applications during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is not currently known whether this available service has satisfied the patients' needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim To detect the preferred modality of health services by the Saudi population during COVID-19 and to assess the satisfaction with respect to the provided health services in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used targeting all accessible populations in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from participants using an electronic pre-structured questionnaire. The tool covered participants' socio-demographic data, participants' medical and family history, COVID-19 infection, health problems during the pandemic, received services, modalities of available services, and their satisfaction regarding the provided health service. Results A total of 2102 participants completed the study questionnaire. Exactly 773 (36.8%) respondents had a health problem during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most-reported modality of health services used was calling the 937 number, which is call center of the Ministry of Health (34.7%), followed by using health applications to get an appointment (33.9%). Also, 447 (88.7%) participants reported that the provided medical services were helpful. Regarding their satisfaction, 156 (31%) were just satisfied with the provided services and 280 (55.6%) were highly satisfied. Conclusions In conclusion, the current study showed a high level of public satisfaction regarding different modalities of health services provided during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. This satisfaction was moderately high among telehealth users and those who had hospital visits for health care.
