The Relationship Between Motivation and Academic Performance Among Medical Students in Riyadh.

BACKGROUND: Motivation is the process whereby goal-directed activities are initiated and sustained. Motivation is a crucial factor in academic achievement. The study aims to measure students' demographic factors and external environments' effect on their motivation and determine the impact of students' motivation and self-efficacy on their learning engagement and academic performance. METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional study that involved distributing an online digital questionnaire, which was applied in the capital of Saudi Arabia, "Riyadh." The students' motivation was assessed using three scales that are designed to measure the students' intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and learning engagement. RESULTS: In this study, we collected 429 responses from our distributed questionnaire among medical students where males represented 60.1% of the sample. Moreover, we classified the satisfaction level into five subcategories: very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, unsatisfied, and very unsatisfied. We found that most of the students (38.7%) were satisfied with their academic performance, while 17.7% were strongly satisfied. The mean enrollment motivation score in this study was 19.83 (SD 2.69), and when determining its subcategories, we found that the mean intrinsic motivation score was 10.33 (out of 12) and the mean extrinsic motivation score was 10.23 (out of 12). Moreover, the mean self-efficacy score was 9.61 and the mean learning engagement score was 8.97 (out of 12). Moreover, we found that a longer duration needed by the students to reach the college from their residence is significantly associated with lower learning engagement reported by the students (8.54 vs. 9.13 in shorter times, P=0.034). Finally, we found that students who entered medical school as their first choice had significantly higher intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and learning engagement. CONCLUSION: A student's preference for entering medical school will affect their motivation, self-efficacy, and learning engagement. Moreover, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations significantly correlate with self-efficacy and satisfaction with academic performance; however, they have no effect on the grade point average (GPA) of the last semester. The only factor that positively correlates with students' GPA is learning engagement.

Antibiotic resistance patterns of pediatric community-acquired urinary tract infections in a tertiary care center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in children. UTIs can lead to serious and permanent damage to the urinary tract if treatment is delayed or insufficient, particularly in repeated infections. Knowledge of antibiotic resistance trends aids in the selection of appropriate empiric antibiotics. There is limited data regarding this in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate uropathogens and their antibiotic resistance patterns in the pediatric community in a tertiary care center. METHODOLOGY: The study population included children aged 0 to 14 years old who had culture-proven UTIs evaluated in the Department of Pediatrics, King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from February 2019 to September 2021. RESULTS: Out of 510 UTI episodes, Escherichia coli (54.5%) was the predominant causative pathogen. Of the total episodes, 137 (26.8%) were caused by extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers. In general, the highest resistance was observed against ampicillin (73.2%), cefazolin (54.6%), co-trimoxazole (46%), and cefuroxime (40.6%), whereas amikacin (0.4%), imipenem (0.8%), and meropenem (0.8%) showed the lowest rates of resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic resistance is a major concern worldwide due to misuse of antibiotics and subsequent rise of multidrug resistant organisms. Our findings highlight the rise in antibiotic resistance, particularly in E. coli strains. Furthermore, ESBL-producing bacteria were responsible for approximately one-third of UTIs. Our study emphasizes the importance of local antibiograms for pediatric community-acquired infections, as it guides clinicians in every center in the choice of appropriate empiric antibiotic treatment.

Parents' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Febrile Convulsion in Children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background Fever is a common presentation in pediatric age groups and is the most common reason for healthcare visits. Parents' knowledge is essential for early presentation to healthcare facilities and to prevent possible complications. Studies suggest that febrile convulsions (FCs) often cause stress and anxiety for parents, who often assume it may cause brain damage, future epilepsy attacks, mental retardation, physical injury, and even death. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of FCs among parents. Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted among parents living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with children younger than 14 years of age. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the selected population using an online survey. The questionnaire included socio-demographic data, family experiences of FC, practice toward a child with FC, and questions assessing knowledge, attitude, and concerns. Results Of the 415 recruited parents, 350 (84.3%) were mothers, and 56.4% were government employees. Regarding monthly income, 172 (41.4%) were earning more than 15,000 SAR per month. The prevalence of parents with having a child with FC was 33%. Overall, 369 (88.9%) had poor knowledge, 41 (9.9%) had moderate knowledge, and only five (1.2%) had good knowledge levels. Regarding attitude, more than one-third (200, 35.2%), had a negative attitude, 205 (49.4%) were neutral, and the rest had positive attitude levels (64, 15.4%). Increased knowledge and attitude toward FC were associated with having a child or siblings of a child with FC. Regarding the practice and the plan of action for future FC occurrence, the most common was to rush the child to a doctor (94, 68.6%), followed by lowering the child's body temperature (78, 56.9%), and placing the child on his/her side (54, 39.4%). Conclusions There was an optimistic attitude toward a child with FC but knowledge was deficient. However, parents who had a child or siblings experiencing FC were more knowledgeable, while parents with higher education and better income tended to exhibit better attitudes when managing a child with FC. Further investigations are needed to establish the level of understanding and perspectives of parents when managing a child with FC.

Pediatric community acquired urinary tract infections due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase versus non-extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing bacteria.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the demographics, clinical characteristics, risk factors, and antibiotic resistance of pediatric community-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and non-ESBL-producing uropathogens. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia, among children aged between 0 and 14 years, with a culture-proven diagnosis of community-acquired UTI between February 2019 and September 2021. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether or not their UTI was caused by ESBL-producing bacteria. RESULTS: A total of 383 patients with community-acquired UTI were evaluated. Escherichia coli was detected in 72.6% of cultures. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing organisms were responsible for 35.7% of UTI episodes. Of these 69% and 31% were caused by E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to clinical presentation or urine analysis. The resistance rates in the ESBL-producing group were 39.4% for amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, 65.7% for ciprofloxacin, 72.3% for co-trimoxazole, 32.8% for nitrofurantoin, 21.2% for gentamicin, and 0.7% for amikacin and carbapenems. In the non-ESBL-producing group, it was 22.4% for amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, 22.4% for ciprofloxacin, 38.2% for co-trimoxazole, 23.6% for nitrofurantoin, 6.1% for gentamicin, and zero for amikacin and carbapenems. The presence of renal abnormalities (p = 0.014) and male gender (p = 0.026) were determined to be independent risk factors for ESBL UTIs. CONCLUSIONS: Recognizing risk factors and antibiotic resistance for ESBL-producing bacteria may aid in tailoring an antibiotic regimen for pediatric patients at high risk of ESBL-UTIs.

The knowledge and attitude towards prostate cancer and screening practices among males in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Early-stage prostate cancer can be asymptomatic. The digital rectal exam (DRE) and the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test are usually used for prostate cancer screening. This study aims to assess knowledge and attitudes towards prostate cancer screening among males in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on Saudi males above the age of 40. A self-reported questionnaire was distributed online. Results: A total of 368 males completed the questionnaire. In the studied group, 64.5% had heard about prostate cancer through social media (46.7%), the internet (40.1%), or healthcare providers (18.6%). In addition, around 20.3% of the participants had heard about the PSA screening test. Moreover, 55.2% of participants had an inadequate level of knowledge about prostate cancer and the PSA test, while 53.1% had a negative attitude. Conclusion: There was a poor level of knowledge and attitude towards screening for prostate cancer among males in Saudi Arabia. This could be due to the lack of education on the risks of prostate cancer by healthcare providers.

Patient Satisfaction After Conservative Treatment for Burn Scars in Saudi Arabia.

Background Burn injury is a typical physical injury that occurs as a result of a thermal, electrical, or chemical stimulus. Burn injuries to the skin cause complicated issues, including scar marks, psychological impacts, and affect quality of life (QOL). The preferred treatment technique for burn scars is controversial, as attempts to control the contraction rate remain a challenge, often leading to a poor outcome. Thus, treating burn scar patients is one of the biggest challenges in reconstructive surgery. In this study, we aimed to assess the patients' perception of pain and QOL after conservative treatment for burn scars in Saudi Arabia. Methodology This was a cross-sectional study conducted on Saudi Arabian patients who underwent conservative treatment for their burn scars. Information was obtained using a self-reported questionnaire which was distributed online using Google Forms on several social media platforms. MS Excel was used for data entry, while SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. Results We collected 523 responses to our questionnaire. Among respondents, 70.2% were aged between 18-29 years and 62.1% were single. Most burns were on the upper limbs (74.2%), and 78% of burns were caused by a thermal stimulus (exposure to heat). In terms of emotional status, most respondents did not report significant emotional issues related to their burn scars with a mean emotional score of 12.5 out of 24. Overall, burn scars did not affect the respondents' ability to work or independence in performing daily work. Regarding the impact of the burns on the patients' appearance, 29.4% of respondents reported that their scars bothered them significantly, 64.2% reported that their appearance never bothered them, and 11.5% reported that they sometimes tried to forget how their appearance had been changed. Conclusions We found that conservative treatment of burn scars is effective in controlling the pain associated with the burns and can improve the patient's ability to perform work and other daily activities. However, it did not completely improve the psychological distress associated with scars. Further investigations are required to understand the impact of adherence to conservative treatment for burn scars on the psychological status of patients.