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INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global disaster with millions of infections and deaths. Healthcare systems and services were significantly affected, necessitating adjustments. These included postponement of scheduled appointments and elective surgeries. During the pandemic, there was an increase in the number of acute appendicitis, gallstones, and hernia with a significant impact on the signs and symptoms of presenting problems due to prehospital delay. AIM: This study aims to measure the impacts of COVID-19 on patients with common surgical emergencies in King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective study conducted at King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. We reviewed all medical records of patients diagnosed with common surgical emergencies (acute appendicitis, gallstones, and hernia) during a selected time of COVID-19 lockdown and compared it with a similar set period before the crisis as a control sample. All medical records were reviewed to find out the overall number of admissions, frequency of emergency department (ED) visits, duration of illness, picture of clinical presentation, intraoperative findings, course and duration of admission, and final pathology if any. RESULTS: A total of 322 patients were included in the study. Of these, 119 (37%) patients underwent surgery before COVID-19 while 203 (63%) patients underwent surgery during the pandemic. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis was 63.9% and 47.7%, hernia 27.7% and 34.6%, and gallstone was 8.4% and 17.7% for control and pandemic periods, respectively. The duration varied from 10 hours to two days and four hours to one month, seven hours to one day to eight hours to six months, and two hours to one day to seven hours to one and half a month for acute appendicitis, hernia, and gallstone in control and pandemic period, respectively. The mean length of stay for acute appendicitis was reduced from two days during the control period to one day during the pandemic period, from four to three days for gallstone, and for hernia, it remained three days for both the control and pandemic periods, respectively. Regarding the course of admission for acute appendicitis, the uneventful cases were reduced while an increase in uneventful cases for both hernia and gallstone was observed. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a noticeable reduction in hospital visits. We observed an increase in the number of one-time visits and a reduction of three, four, and seven-time visits, which was attributed to the fact that patients have been reported to visit the hospital after a long time from the onset of symptoms with a higher chance of complication and subsequent surgeries. The number of acute appendicitis cases was reduced while the cases of hernia and gallstones increased significantly. The minimum period for the duration of acute illness for appendicitis was reduced in the pandemic period, while the minimum period for both gallstone and hernia was increased as both conditions could require conservative management. The mean length of hospital stay was reduced during the pandemic period, mainly due to the early discharge implemented in COVID-19 protocols to decrease the risk of infection. The severity of symptoms was increased due to the cancellation and delaying of surgeries.
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Introduction Violence against pregnant women has become a public health issue and a violation of human rights. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence as any act (physical or verbal) that causes physical or psychological harm. Obstetric violence committed by healthcare providers can lead to significant health consequences harming both mother and child. During pregnancy, violence is more frequent than some obstetric complications that are routinely recorded or screened. Therefore, this study aims to assess the prevalence of violence against women during pregnancy and labor, and postpartum. Materials and methods In this cross-sectional study, our study population consisted of women who have experienced pregnancy and labor in the Najd region. We used both face-to-face and online questionnaires that evaluated the knowledge and practice outcomes of women who have experienced violence during labor, in addition to the behavior of healthcare providers toward these women. Results In our analysis of demographic data, we found a significant association between age and having experienced violence before/during birth. Most women who experienced violence were between 25 and 45 years old (p=0.002). Furthermore, the history analysis revealed a significant association between follow-up regularity and violence experiences (p=0.010). Nursing students delivered most women (71%), and they did not provide information regarding the women's rights or procedures. Of the respondents, 39.6% did not feel comfortable and were afraid of the healthcare providers' words, phrases, or behaviors. Conclusion Our study concluded that many women experience violence committed by healthcare providers before, during, and after labor without realizing it. As a result of the ignorance of their rights, violence is more prevalent among these women. As a recommendation, to expand on the rights, women organizations should dedicate more efforts and throw campaigns to raise the awareness of violence among other women.
