Performance and satisfaction during the E-learning transition in the COVID-19 pandemic among psychiatry course medical students.

Background: In the field of medical education, students faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abrupt alterations were made in the form of preventative precautions. Virtual classes replaced onsite classes, clinical placements were canceled, and social distance interventions prevented face-to-face practical sessions. The present study aimed to assess students' performance and satisfaction before and after the transition of a psychiatry course from onsite to entirely online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A retrospective, non-clinical, and non-interventional comparative educational research study included all students registered in the psychiatric course for the academic year 2020 (pre-pandemic/onsite) and 2021 (during the pandemic/online).To assess students' satisfaction, we utilized the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) students' satisfaction survey used by the academic quality unit at KSU, College of Medicine.Satisfaction was assessed in six domains: course organization, learning resources, faculty experiences, clinical teaching, practical sessions, and overall satisfaction. The reliability of the questionnaire was measured using Cronbach's alpha test.To assess their performance, students' grades from both periods were obtained from the exam center. Results: A total of 193 medical students enrolled in the study; 80 received onsite learning and assessment, while another 113 received full online learning and assessment. The students' mean indicators of course satisfaction for the online courses exceeded their corresponding indicators significantly compared to the onsite courses. These indicators included students' satisfaction in terms of course organization, p < 0.001; medical learning resources, p < 0.050; faculty experience, p < 0.050; and overall course, p < 0.050. There were no significant differences regarding satisfaction in both practical sessions, p > 0.050, and clinical teaching, p > 0.050. The students' performance mean was significantly higher in the online (M = 91.76) compared to the onsite courses (M = 88.58) (p < 0.001), and the Cohen's D statistic showed there was a medium level of enhancement in students' overall grades (Cohen's d = 0.41). Conclusion: Students perceived the switch to online delivery methods very favorably. Students' satisfaction significantly improved regarding the themes of course organization, faculty experience, learning resources, and overall course satisfaction, while a similar level of adequate student satisfaction was maintained in terms of clinical teaching and practical sessions during the transition of the course to e-learning. In addition, the online course was associated with a trend toward higher students' grades. However, the assessment of the achievement of course learning outcomes and the maintenance of this positive impact warrants further investigation.

Comparison of different scoring systems in predicting mortality and postoperative complications in acute care surgery patients at a Saudi Academic Centre.

PURPOSE: Emergency surgery carries an increased risk of death and complications. Scoring systems can help identify patients at higher risk of mortality and complications. Scoring systems can also help benchmark acute care services. This study aims to compare different scoring systems in predicting outcomes among acute care surgery patients. METHODS: Our study is a retrospective cohort study that included all adult emergency surgery admissions between 2017 and 2019. Data were obtained from patients' electronic health records. Same admission mortality and postoperative complications were collected. Data were recorded to calculate the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification system (ASA-PS), Shock Index Score (SI), Age Shock Index Score (AgeSI), and the Emergency Surgery Score (ESS). The probability of death and complications was correlated with each scoring system and was assessed by calculating the c-statistic. RESULTS: During the study period, 1606 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. The mortality rate was 2.2%, complication rate was 18.7%. ESS predicted mortality with a c-statistic of 0.87 better than ASA-PS, AgeSI, and SI with a calculated c-statistic of 0.81, 0.74, and 0.57, respectively. ESS also predicted the occurrence of complications with a c-statistic of 0.83 better than ASA-PS, AgeSI, and SI with a calculated c-statistic of 0.72, 0.71, and 0.63, respectively. CONCLUSION: ESS demonstrated a better prognostic accuracy for hospital mortality and postoperative complications than other prognostic scoring systems. Our findings suggest that a scoring system designed for the acute care surgical population may provide enhanced prognostic performance over other surgical prognostic scoring systems.

Burnout, Depression, and Anxiety Levels among Healthcare Workers Serving Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Burnout in healthcare workers (HCWs) is defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that results from unmanaged, excessive, and long-term workplace stressors. This study aims to assess the prevalence of burnout and the levels of anxiety and depression among HCWs who primarily work with children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted utilizing the Arabic version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS), Patient Health Questionnaire for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression (PHQ-9). Among the 381 participants working in autism centers, the majority were young Saudi females (326) working full-time as specialists in the private sector with less than five years of experience. The HCWs' overall mean scores on the three Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) subscales: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA) were 62%, 23.7%, and 76.5%, respectively. A total of 51.4% of HCWs reported moderate to high anxiety levels on GAD-7, and 47.8% showed moderate to very high levels of depression on PHQ-9. The mean perceived EE converged significantly but negatively on their overall mean perceived satisfaction with AWS (p-value < 0.001), demonstrating that greater emotional fatigue predicts less satisfaction with their work. The PA scores correlated significantly and positively with their overall mean satisfaction with their AWS score (p-value < 0.001). Considering sociodemographic variables, HCWs aged between 20-29 years have significantly lower mean PA scores than HCWs aged thirty and older (p = 0.007). Also, male HCWs perceived significantly higher work-related DP than females. More research is required to determine the nature of variables that contribute to burnout, depression, and anxiety in HCWs helping children with ASD.