RESUMO
Objective The objective of this cross-sectional study conducted in Saudi Arabia was to determine the factors that influence Saudi medical students to choose general surgery as their future specialty and pursue it as a career. Study design The study was conducted over a six-month period from December 2022 to May 2023 and employed a cross-sectional design. Patients and methods Undergraduate medical students from various universities in Saudi Arabia were included as study participants. Only those who met the study's criteria completed a questionnaire, and the data collected was analyzed using IBM Corp. Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Results Out of the 283 medical students included in the study, 53% were females, and 55.1% were junior students. The results revealed that the most common influential factors towards selecting a general surgical specialty were "Opportunity to be involved in patient care" (86.9%), "Opportunities for higher studies or further specialization" (85.9%), and "Compatible with personality" (84.8%). Conclusion This study concluded that several factors moderately influenced medical students considering general surgery as their future career. Notably, female students were found to be more likely to be influenced by research opportunities, less stressful working conditions, shorter working hours, and having family members in the same specialty.
RESUMO
Introduction Headache is a considerable factor in decreased productivity and work efficiency. This study aims to measure the characteristics of headaches and the risk factors among healthcare providers in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional study included 353 healthcare providers from Al-Alhsa, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was conducted to assess the demographic and occupational characteristics, headaches, numerous factors such as smoking, caffeine intake, physical activity, and medical conditions to determine their associations with headaches, as well as the impact of headaches on productivity. Results Among participants who reported headaches, 15.6% and 4.5% had been previously diagnosed with tension headaches and migraines, respectively. The mean duration of headaches was 7.09±18.16 hours; 38.5% of headaches were throbbing in nature, while 61.5% were pressing. The headache was on one side in 51.6% and accompanied by nausea and vomiting in 41.1% and 24.1%, respectively. Moreover, 53% and 41.9% experienced worsening of headaches by exercise and light, respectively. Tension headaches occurred more in older healthcare providers (P <0.05) and those who reported working night shifts (P=0.002). Healthcare providers with tension headaches reported having an intrusive leader and violence at work (P=0.038 and P=0.013, respectively). Caffeine consumption, emotional stress, and using oral contraceptive pills (OCP) were significantly correlated with migraine (P=0.023, P=0.017, and P=0.004, respectively). The reported headache affected the productivity of 62.59% of individuals. Conclusions Headache is common among healthcare providers in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. The study indicates that tension headache is associated with aging, night shifts, having an intrusive leader, and violence at work. In contrast, migraine is correlated with caffeine consumption, emotional stress, and OCP use. The productivity of healthcare providers is affected negatively by headaches.
