Knowledge of Sleep Disorders Among Physicians at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Qatar: Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disorders constitute a major health problem because of their relatively high and rising prevalence. Several studies worldwide have analyzed health care providers' knowledge of sleep disorders. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to assess the knowledge of sleep disorders among physicians in Qatar. METHODS: A total of 250 physicians were surveyed regarding their knowledge of sleep medicine by using the validated 30-item Assessment of Sleep Knowledge in Medical Education (ASKME) Survey. The participants included residents, fellows, and consultants in medicine and allied subspecialties. A high score was defined as ≥60% of correctly answered questions, implying the respondent has adequate knowledge of sleep disorders. RESULTS: Responses were received from 158 of the 250 physicians, with a response rate of 63.2%. This included responses from 34 residents, 74 clinical fellows, and 50 consultants. The overall mean score was 15.53 (SD 4.42), with the highest possible score of 30. Only 57 of 158 (36.1%) respondents were able to answer ≥60% of the questions correctly. No statistically significant difference was found in the scores of participants with regard to their ranks (ie, residents, fellows, or consultants) or years of medical training. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that health care providers in Qatar have decreased awareness and knowledge about sleep medicine, which may reflect reduced emphasis on sleep disorders during medical school and training. Increasing awareness regarding sleep medicine among nonspecialist physicians will allow early detection and treatment of sleep disorders, thereby reducing the morbidity associated with these disorders.

Clinical outcomes of sirolimus with eluting stent implantation in coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immediate post procedure, thirty-days, and six-months clinical outcomes of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) implantation in patients with single and multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: A case series of all consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with SES implantation at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, were evaluated at early post-procedure, 30-days and six-months clinical follow-up for the incidence of major adverse cardiac event (MACE). This included death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and repeat revascularization. RESULTS: Out of 206 consecutive patients, 324 had SES implanted. Cumulative MACE rate was 2.93% and 6% at 30-days and six-months follow-ups respectively. Five patients developed ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI). One patient developed non-STEMI. Emergency Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) was done in two patients. Repeat (PCI) was carried in three (1.46%) patients for acute in-stent thrombosis. Diabetes Mellitus and multivessel stenting were found to be the independent predictors for acute in-stent thrombosis (P-value < 0.02 and 0.05 respectively). CONCLUSION: SES implantation in coronary artery disease can be safe and effective MACE at one and six months follow-ups.

Patients' satisfaction and opinions of their experiences during admission in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan - a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: It is often felt that developing countries need to improve their quality of healthcare provision. This study hopes to generate data that can help managers and doctors to improve the standard of care they provide in line with the wishes of the patients. METHODS: It was a cross sectional study carried out at a major tertiary care hospital of Karachi. Patients between the ages of 18 and 80 years admitted to the hospital for at least one day were included. Patients in the maternity, psychiatry and chemotherapy wards and those in the ICU/CCU were excluded. A pretested, peer reviewed translation of a validated patient satisfaction scale developed by the Picker Institute of Europe was administered. RESULTS: A total of 173 patients (response rate: 78.6 %) filled the questionnaire. Patient satisfaction was at levels comparable to European surveys for most aspects of hospital care. However, nearly half the patients (48%) felt they had to wait too long to get a bed in the hospital after presenting to the ER. 68.6% of the patients said that they were never asked for views on the quality of care provided. 20% of the patients did not find anyone in the staff to talk to about their worries and fears while 27.6% felt that they were given emotional support to only some extent. Up to one third of the patients said they were not provided enough information regarding their operative procedures beforehand. CONCLUSION: Although several components of patient care equal the quality levels of the west, many sections require considerable improvement in order to improve health care provision. The healthcare team needs to get more involved with the patients, providing them greater support and keeping them informed and involved with their medical treatment. Efforts should be made to get regular feedback from the patients.