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Reports indicate an increase in the incidence of violence against the elderly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This study aimed to determine the types and risk factors of elder abuse in KSA. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted of abuse among the elderly (65 years and older; n = 128) reported in the National Family Safety Registry (NFSR) between April 2017 and December 2021. Most cases involved women (65.6%) and married individuals (54.7%). Physical abuse was the most common type (44.5%), followed by neglect (34.4%). Men, married individuals, people without family support, and people with physical disabilities were more likely to experience physical abuse. Elderly people, single individuals, women, and those lacking family support showed an increased likelihood of neglect. Preventive strategies should be implemented through awareness raising, capacity building, resource allocation, and the exchange of multidisciplinary good practices across sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monkeypox (MPX) is a viral zoonotic disease that is endemic in Central and West African countries had affected countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and South and North America. Some globally reported cases were linked to history of recent travel to endemic regions, however, official reports revealed homosexual practices among the majority of reported cases. In response to global increase MPX burden and number of cases, the WHO declared MPX a Public Health Emergency with International Concern (PHEIC) on July 23, 2022. The first MPX case in Saudi Arabia was a returning traveler from Europe to Riyadh on July 14, 2022. It is essential for policy makers to maintain neutral tone for health education messages and inform the public that MPX transmits via physical contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Medical education in Saudi medical colleges is delivered to students through a completely English language curriculum, whereas the practice that students face in the hospital is generally conducted in Arabic language settings. We suggest that the linguistic gap between the adopted medical curriculum and actual practice could influence students’ confidence and level of difficulty in history taking in Arabic. The study aimed to identify the effects of learning history taking in the English language on applying it in the medical student’s native language. Methods: This cross‑sectional design study was held in the College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU‑HS). The targeted sample size was 377 medical students from the fourth to the sixth year, and stratified random sampling was used. The questionnaire used was self‑developed, validated, and pilot tested in other medical colleges. The questionnaire asked about students’ confidence, the difficulty of Arabic history taking, and suggested strategies to improve the current curriculum. Results: The response rate was 290 participants (76.9%), males were 205 (71%), and 136 (47%) were in the fourth year. Agreement on feeling confident while taking history taking in Arabic was 98 (33.8%), 102 (35.2%) were neutral, and 90 (31%) disagreed. Moreover, 138 (47.6%) of students preferred training for Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in Arabic more than English, 86 (29.7%) were neutral, while 66 (22.8%) disagreed. The mean level of difficulty was 2.1 ± 0.7 (range 1‑ 5). Additionally, 198 (68%) of students suggested adding short Arabic history courses. Conclusion: Students considered history taking in Arabic as easy, even though they were not completely confident. Further efforts are needed to uplift students’ of confidence to optimal levels. Advances in Knowledge: Communication is the cornerstone of medical education as well as clinical practice. The study explores the impact of instruction language on the physician‑patient communication dynamic, providing better infrastructure for evidence‑based educational practice. Application to Patient Care: This study gives insight into the students’ level of preparation to practice in their local community and language. Furthermore, the study addresses strategies to enhance students communication skills and alleviate linguistic barriers in the physician‑patient encounter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The study aimed to measure the level of the stigma of medical students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh campus, towards mentally ill patients. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh. The data collection was started in July 2017 till March 2018. The students completed a self-administered questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic data and the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) Scale. Results: The sample size was realized as 274 participants. There were no significant differences in all CAMI subscales for the different academic years except for Authoritarianism which showed a significant increase in the level of stigma (P-value = 0.04). Male gender, previous psychiatric treatment, and having a relative with psychiatric illness were associated with higher Authoritarianism and Social Restrictiveness scores and lower Benevolence and CMHI scores. Discussion: More stigma was observed among the 4th year students and it might be due to insufficient academic preparation as well as more exposure to psychiatric rotations. Conclusion: The results support the importance of implementing anti-stigma programs throughout the medical program to improve the healthcare provided to mentally ill patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To assess the psychological impact and mental health outcomes including depression, anxiety, and insomnia during COVID-19 crisis among ophthalmologists. METHODS: This was a simple random study in which ophthalmologists practicing in Saudi Arabia were asked to fill in a self-administered online survey during the period from March 28, 2020, to April 04, 2020. Four validated psychiatric assessment tools were used to detect symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress perception. RESULTS: One hundred and seven participants successfully completed the survey with a response rate of 30.6%. Males constituted 56.1% (n = 60). Ophthalmology residents constituted the majority (n = 66, 61.7%). About half of the physicians exhibited symptoms of depression (n = 56, 50.5%), anxiety (n = 50, 46.7%), and insomnia (n = 48, 44.9%). Symptoms of stress ranged between low (28%), moderate (68.2%), and high (3.7%). According to the cutoff values for severe symptoms, 29% were identified as having depression, 38.3% had anxiety, and 15% had insomnia.Depression was found to be more common among female ophthalmologists (P = 0.06), those living with an elderly (P = 0.003), and fellows (P = 0.006). Female ophthalmologists suffering from anxiety were significantly more than male ophthalmologists (P = 0.046). There was a trend toward suffering from anxiety in frontline health-care providers (P = 0.139) and in ophthalmologists who are living with an elderly (P = 0.149). Female participants exhibited significantly more moderate-to-high symptoms of stress (P = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Ophthalmologists' psychological needs, females in particular, should be addressed appropriately during the COVID-19 pandemic. Establishing psychological support units, especially for high-risk individuals, should be considered to minimize psychological adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is characterized by directly experiencing traumatic events or witnessing, learning, or repetitively experiencing the details of these events. High risk occupations (i.e., EMS personnel) frequently encounter traumatic eventscoping with events exceeding the range of human experiences. Regional lack of studies necessitated the need to report the prevalence of PTSD among healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia (SA). Aims and Objective: To explore the prevalence of PTSD among EMS personnel Materials and Methods: This a descriptive cross-sectional study at King Abdul Aziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, SA among 110 paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMT), and ambulance drivers who were conveniently selected for this screening. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, the Civilian version, (PCL-C) was used to screen the participants, and cut-off point was 30-35. PTSD symptoms (present & absent) was considered as outcome measure. Results: Total of 110 participants were contacted, 74 (67%) agreed to participate. Around half of the participants were EMT (52%). Total number of screened individuals is 52, 14 (26.9%) had positive screening, of those, EMT had higher proportion than paramedics (32% vs 20.8%). Conclusion: This report is the first PTSD prevalence among healthcare providers in SA. The results showed that 26% of EMS personnel had positive screening for PTSD. Attention should be directed toward this issue by regular psychological evaluation and implementing psychological rehabilitation programs for EMS personnel. The study reflects only one center in the city, thus generalization would not be inappropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To quantify the prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) among medical students of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) and to observe the association between anxiety and IBS. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study conducted during academic year 2015-2016 has used two self-administered, pre-validated questionnaires: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) and Rome III criteria. The sample size was 270, and proportional allocation was used to determine distribution of this sample across study population based on percentages of students in each academic year. Convenience sampling was used to select participants. Results: The overall prevalence of IBS was 21% (n=57), with a higher prevalence among females (26%, n=23) than males (19%, n=34). IBS was most and least prevalent among first-year students (14%, n=5) and fifth-year students (29%, n=21) respectively. Anxiety levels were normal, mild, moderate, and severe or extremely severe in 39% (n=105), 7% (n=19), 26% (n=70), and 27%. A significant association was found between gender & IBS and anxiety levels & IBS. Conclusion: The prevalence of IBS in this study was 21% and higher among females than males but were highest among fifth-year students for both genders. More than 50% of students had moderate or high levels of anxiety for both genders. The prevalence of IBS was highest among students of 5th fifth year. The study provides evidence that, as medical students of higher year of their under graduation were having higher level of anxiety which leads to IBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess levels of burnout in medical students, and to explore the influence of extracurricular activities on burnout at a medical school in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with first to fourth year medical students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Socio-demographic, burnout level (the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey, MBI-SS) and participation in extracurricular activities data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using the Pearson's chi-square test and binary logistic regression. Results: From the 306 medical students approached, 249 (81.4%) completed the questionnaire. The level of high burnout was 67.1% (n=167). The study revealed that the majority (62.3%, n=155) of students had high levels of cynicism, 58.6% (n=146) had high levels of emotional exhaustion, and 60.2% (n=150) had low levels of professional efficacy. Most of the students (73.5%, n=183) participated in extracurricular activities, and 112 (45%) students were organizers of extracurricular activities. No significant association was found between burnout levels and the frequency of involvement in extracurricular activities (χ²=2.2, df=2, p=0.333). However, students who were organizing extracurricular activities were less likely to have low professional efficacy (OR=0.51, 95% CI: 0.27- 0.96). Conclusions: High levels of burnout were reported at this medical school. Although the burnout level is not significantly associated with the frequency of involvement in extracurricular activities, leading and organizing extracurricular activities might result in lower levels of burnout. Therefore, improving the students' leadership skills should be considered in curriculum planning, and greater emphasis should be placed on the quality of involvement in extracurricular activities rather than the quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]