A Review of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications have transformed healthcare. This study is based on a general literature review uncovering the role of AI in healthcare and focuses on the following key aspects: (i) medical imaging and diagnostics, (ii) virtual patient care, (iii) medical research and drug discovery, (iv) patient engagement and compliance, (v) rehabilitation, and (vi) other administrative applications. The impact of AI is observed in detecting clinical conditions in medical imaging and diagnostic services, controlling the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with early diagnosis, providing virtual patient care using AI-powered tools, managing electronic health records, augmenting patient engagement and compliance with the treatment plan, reducing the administrative workload of healthcare professionals (HCPs), discovering new drugs and vaccines, spotting medical prescription errors, extensive data storage and analysis, and technology-assisted rehabilitation. Nevertheless, this science pitch meets several technical, ethical, and social challenges, including privacy, safety, the right to decide and try, costs, information and consent, access, and efficacy, while integrating AI into healthcare. The governance of AI applications is crucial for patient safety and accountability and for raising HCPs' belief in enhancing acceptance and boosting significant health consequences. Effective governance is a prerequisite to precisely address regulatory, ethical, and trust issues while advancing the acceptance and implementation of AI. Since COVID-19 hit the global health system, the concept of AI has created a revolution in healthcare, and such an uprising could be another step forward to meet future healthcare needs.

Anxiety among multiparous women in the Al-Qatif sector of KSA: A mixed-method study.

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety disorders are among the leading causes of disability worldwide. Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterised as a state of excessive anxiety for six months or more, which is difficult to control and is not triggered by a specific situation or stressor. This study aims to assess the relationship between GAD and multiparity. METHOD: This was a mixed-method study in which the quantitative phase was conducted by administering a structured questionnaire involving a GAD-7 screening tool. The qualitative phase involved a semi-structured focus group discussion (FGD) to gather participants' opinions regarding multiparity and its impact on life. This study was conducted on 513 participants from 16 primary health care centres (PHCs) in the Al-Qatif region of the KSA. The target population comprised multiparous women of childbearing age. Pregnant and postpartum women were excluded from this study. A two-sample t-test, a chi-square test, and logistic regressions were used to assess the required associations. RESULTS: Almost 75% of the participants considered themselves to be anxious. The association between GAD and multiparity was not statistically significant. The variables significantly associated with anxiety were found to be marital status, educational level, marital conflict, stressful life events, family member assistance, mothers' health issues, and children's health issues. The qualitative analysis showed that two-thirds of the women identified no relationship between multiparity and anxiety. CONCLUSION: There was no significant association between GAD and multiparity. However, through use of multivariable modelling, anxiety was significantly associated with marital conflicts, stressful life events, and educational level.

Saudi mothers' perception of their children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in Dammam, Al-Qatif, and Al-Khobar cities, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Mothers' perceptions about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are central to the management of the disorder. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, experiences, and attitudes of mothers with ADHD children toward ADHD and identify their common sources of information and service barriers from the perspectives of these mothers in the Dammam, AI-Khobar, and Al-Qatif areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study comprised mothers of 132 children with ADHD who attended private and government sector special education schools and day-care centers in the Al-Khobar, Dammam, and Al-Qatif cities of Saudi Arabia. All the mothers completed self-administered structured questionnaires. RESULTS: About 47% mothers of children with ADHD had poor knowledge of ADHD, 74.2% had a positive attitude toward the condition, and 51.5% had a neutral perception of their children. Most of the children received combined therapy, with 69.5% exhibiting improved behavior. The most common concern of mothers was fear of the side effects of medication (39.4%). The mothers were the first family members to seek advice; the most common reason for first visit to clinic were poor social skills (45.5%), and attention hyperactive aggressive behavior (45.5%). The most common reason for the delay in diagnosis was failure to recognize the child's aberrant behavior (67.4%), whereas the most common source of information was internet (63.6%). CONCLUSION: It is important for clinicians to address the mothers' perceptions of ADHD as part of the treatment for ADHD to improve the children's quality of life. It is also important to develop educational materials and awareness campaigns that target mothers and facilitate good communication between the services through the social media.

Perceptions and Attitudes of Family Medicine Residency Program Directors Regarding Ranking Applicants for Residency Programs using their Social Media Accounts: A National Study in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: In contemporary times, employers use information available on the social media (SM) to assess attitudes before interviews and recruitment of potential employees. It is used as one of the criteria to rank applicants for acceptance as residents in the Middle East. In this study, an evaluation was done of this new practice in which program directors (PDs) take into account e-professionalism for the acceptance of applicants. It was a national study of all 41 hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia involved in Saudi board family medicine training programs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 36-item questionnaire was administered to PDs. Next, a focus group discussion (FGD) was held, after which there was social listening. We recorded the FGD. There was verbatim transcription and coding of the qualitative data. We held social listening using Keyhole. The percentage of positive attitudes (PPAs) was normally distributed; we tested its relationship with different factors by comparing the mean score values among categories using the Student's t-test and one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: The average PPA toward the ranking of applicants by using their SM was 55.5% ± 17.3% (median: 56.6%). The average PPA was higher in those who used SM to communicate with residents (60.2% ±19.5%) than those who did not (49.4% ±12%; P = 0.04), even after adjusting for familiarity with Internet use. Directors in hospitals of the Ministry of Education had higher percentages; these figures, however, are not statistically significant. PDs considered the importance of establishing culturally acceptable guidelines for the assessment of e-professionalism and social reputation. CONCLUSIONS: Culturally appropriate, bioethical regulations that meet the needs of modern times should be designed. We need to solve ethical dilemmas, especially with regard to privacy in SM.