Correction: Interventional Radiology Awareness Among Family Physicians and General Practitioners in the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.51751.].

Interventional Radiology Awareness Among Family Physicians and General Practitioners in the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia.

Interventional radiology (IR) is a rapidly growing specialty and is increasingly developing new procedures and minimally invasive interventions; thus, it might be challenging for non-specialists to keep up with all the new findings of IR. In this study, we tried to determine the level of awareness of family physicians and general practitioners about IR in the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. A self-completed online questionnaire was distributed among family physicians in the Qassim Region, with a total of 197 respondents. We found that the overall awareness level of family physicians and general practitioners about IR in the Qassim Region was low, with only 56 (28.4%) having an overall good knowledge level regarding IR, while 141 (74.6%) had poor knowledge. A total of 85 (43.1%) of the study participants reported that they would greatly benefit from more education about IR. The results demonstrate that there is a significant knowledge gap among family and general physicians about IR. Therefore, we suggest that there needs to be more education about IR and its developing procedures to promote collaboration among family medicine physicians, general physicians, and interventional radiologists.

Rare presentation of gallbladder schistosomiasis: a case report.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that is widely considered a neglected tropical disease. It is ranked first after malaria among all parasitic diseases. The major forms of schistosomiasis are intestinal and urogenital; however, gallbladder involvement is rare and usually accompanied by imaging findings similar to those of acute cholecystitis, such as wall thickening or pericholecystic inflammation. We encountered a patient who did not show these typical imaging findings. A man in his late 40s presented to the emergency department with a 2-month history of abdominal distention. His initial laboratory examination showed iron deficiency anemia. Computed tomography revealed a mildly distended gallbladder with septations and a small calcified gallstone. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed for better characterization, and it showed gallbladder stones with multiseptated, cystic gallbladder mural lesions and no wall thickening or pericholecystic fluid. On his second visit, the patient complained of mild epigastric pain. A provisional diagnosis of cholecystitis was considered, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed. Histopathological evaluation revealed a gallbladder wall with multiple foci of chronic granulomatous inflammation. Schistosoma-like ova were observed in the mucosa and submucosa and were consistent with schistosomiasis. Periodic acid-Schiff staining of the ova was positive. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful.

The sudden transition to synchronized online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: a qualitative study exploring medical students' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: The closure of educational activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unplanned shift from traditional learning to a setup that exclusively involves digital teaching and learning. Within this context, the present study aimed to explore undergraduate medical students' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of synchronized online learning at Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using virtual focus group discussions synchronously with the help of a discussion guide consisting of seven open-ended questions. Overall, 60 medical students were recruited using a maximum variation sampling technique; these students then participated in eight focus group discussions. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for thematic contents using the standard (Mayring, Kiger. M. E. and Braun.V) content analysis framework. RESULTS: A thematic content analysis yielded four core themes: (1) educational impact, (2) time management, (3) challenges encountered, and (4) preferences for the future. The online modality was well-received, and all participants agreed that online sessions were time saving and that their performance was improved due to enhanced utility of time; however, they indicated that they encountered some challenges, including methodological, content perception, technical, and behavioral challenges during sessions and online exams. Most of the preclinical students preferred online learning for the upcoming academic years. CONCLUSION: Synchronized online classes were well-accepted by the medical students. This represents significant and promising potential for the future of medical education. The principles of the online learning model and learning outcomes should be rigorously and regularly evaluated to monitor its effectiveness.

Basic life support knowledge of healthcare students and professionals in the Qassim University.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge of basic life support (BLS) among students and health providers in Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Allied Health Science Colleges at Qassim University. METHODOLOGY: A cross sectional study was performed using an online BLS survey that was completed by 139 individuals. RESULTS: Ninety-three responders were medical students, 7 were medical interns, 6 were dental students, 7 were pharmacy students, 11 were medical science students and 15 were clinical practitioners. No responder scored 100% on the BLS survey. Only two out of the 139 responders (1.4%) scored 90-99%. Both of these individuals were fifth year medical students. Six responders (4.3%) scored 80-89%. Of these, 5 were fifth year medical students, and one was fourth-year medical student. Eleven responders (7.9%) scored 70-79%. Of these, eight were fifth year medical students, two were medical interns and one was a pharmacist. Twenty-three responders (16.5%) scored 60-69%. Of these, 11 were fifth year medical students, 1 was a fourth-year medical student, 3 were medical interns, 2 were medical science students, 1 was a dentistry student, and 5 were pharmacists. Twenty-eight responders (20.1%) scored 50-59%. Of these, 11 were fifth year medical students, 3 were fourth-year medical students, 1 was a third-year medical student, 1 was a second-year medical student, 2 were first-year medical students, 1 was a pharmacy student, 3 were dental students, 1 was a allied health science student, 2 were doctors, and 3 were pharmacists. The remaining 69 responders (49.6%) scored less than 50%. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of BLS among medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and allied health science students and health providers at Qassim University is poor and needs to be improved. We suggest that inclusion of a BLS course in the undergraduate curriculum with regular reassessment would increase awareness and application of this valuable life-saving skill set.