Prevalence and risk factors of gastro-esophageal reflux disease among college students at a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorders worldwide. It manifests when the lower esophageal sphincter malfunctions, causing the stomach's contents to reflux into the esophagus, lead to discomforting symptoms. Heartburn and regurgitation are the typical symptoms of GERD. This study aims to determine the prevalence of GERD and assess its risk factors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at IMSIU, Saudi Arabia. An online survey was distributed to the students' email addresses to determine the prevalence of GERD, its related risk factors, and understanding of its symptoms. Results: One thousand five hundred and thirty-three (1533) students participated in the survey. The prevalence of GERD was 34.6%. The majority (79.7%) of the respondent students had heard of GERD. Stress is believed to be a factor in developing GERD by 35.7% of students. Heartburn was the predominant symptom of GERD (76.2%). No association existed between the socio-demographic traits of those with GERD except for age and academic year. Conclusions: It is imperative to raise public awareness of the disorder's characteristics and its modifiable risk factors to prevent the emergence of GERD and its complications.

Evaluating the content and face validity of Arabic-translated Patient Measures of Safety survey PMOS-30.

BACKGROUND: The importance of patient perception of patient safety has been proven as an active role in promoting safety and predicting harm. Patients play a vital role in the healthcare sector and the impact of patient perception of patient safety has been repetitively proven in the literature to be for its effectiveness in predicting harm and promoting safety. Nonetheless, there is limited knowledge about the specific insights patients can provide concerning safety within Arab countries. Therefore, improving and strengthening active patient participation by including patients' perceptions of safety could offer novel contributions to the realm of patient safety. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the validity of the Arabic version of the PMOS-30. METHOD: The forward-backward translation procedure was used to translate and validate the PMOS-30. Mix methods were used to assess the validity of the translated version. The expert raters evaluated the content validity and interviews were conducted with in-patients to assess the face validity. Test-retest approach was conducted to pilot the final Arabic version. RESULTS: Data of face validity from 13 participants for the first test and 5 participants for the re-test was collected and showed an improvement in the clarity rate (71.50% and 94.66% respectively). With respect to the content validity of the final version, the CVI was 0.92, indicating excellent relevant results. CONCLUSION: The final version of the revised was approved by the expert to be a valid tool to measure patient perceptions of patient safety in Arabic-speaking patients to be utilized on patient safety improvement initiatives.

The Impact of a Patient Participating in Evaluating Patient Safety by Using the Patient Measure of Safety in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety is an essential element for delivering quality of healthcare. Many studies focus on measuring patient safety from the healthcare provider's perspective to improve patient safety in healthcare facilities. However, patient participation may reduce medical errors and improve patient safety by providing information regarding the safety of their care. This study aimed to evaluate patient safety from the inpatients' perspective and the extent of the influence of the sociodemographic factors on their assessment. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at hospitals in different Saudi Arabian regions with 1569 inpatient adults 18 years of older who voluntarily completed an online questionnaire using the Patient Measure of Safety tool (Arabic translated). Two questions were added to assess patient feedback about the overall perception of safety and witnessing patient safety events. COVID-19 patients and those with a mental disorder or incapable of providing informed consent were excluded. RESULT: The total number of participants was 1569 inpatients from 17 hospitals. Sixty-one percent of the participants were female, and 41.62% were from the 18- to 35-year age group. Less than half (38.69%) of patients stayed at the hospital between 3 and 5 days. Percentages of positive responses were more than 90% observed in dignity and respect, communication and teamworking, and organization and care planning domains. Percentages of negative responses were more than 20% found in organization and care planning, access to resources, and ward type and layout domains. Among the respondents, 57.3% (n = 899) rated the safety of their wards as excellent as opposed to 2.9% (n = 46) who rated it as poor. Approximately 5% (n = 79) have noticed 1 event, and 2.3% (n = 36) have noticed 2 or 3 events. Unemployed participants had a significantly lower rate of positive responses in domains of communication, access to resources, and ward type. In contrast, the no-schooling group had a significantly greater rate of negative responses in care planning and ward-type domains. CONCLUSIONS: The patient plays a key role in enhancing the quality of care and has the potential to detect adverse events. The study highlighted the need to focus on better communication processes for patients with low education levels to enhance their engagement in their care. Further steps should be taken to understand the extent of the patient's involvement in the improvement that could be tackled from feedback on the safety of care.