The Journal of Medicine, Law & Public Health

An Evaluation of the 2020 Change to the Saudi Emergency Residency Program Assessment

Ibrahim Saud Alrashedi, Dania Farooq — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0800

Background

Several changes have been made to the assessment component of Saudi residency training programs. Among those is the implementation of three examinations over the course of the year.

Aim

We aimed to explore the emergency residents’ perspective on the change in the number of examinations, and the impact of such changes in terms of time management, knowledge gain, and social life.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was carried out from September to October 2022, using an electronic survey targeting emergency board trainees.

Results

One hundred and nine emergency residents enrolled, of whom 64.2% were male. The majority, 45%, were from the central province. Junior-level residents (R1) represented 26.6% of the sample, while R2 (second year) comprised 18.3%, R3 (third year) comprised 38.5%, and 16.5% were senior (R4) level. More than half of the participants, 56 % (n=61), did not support the change from one to three examinations and believed that it had a negative influence on knowledge gain and clinical skills. The influence of the change on time management stands out as a negative impact, in addition to its impact on social life and annual leave arrangements.

Conclusions

The support for three examinations throughout the year was low; a contributing factor to this may be the sudden changes effected by those tests on training and time management. A re-evaluation of testing culture and involving residents in decision-making might generate acceptance.

Awareness and Utilisation of Primary Healthcare to Reduce Emergency Department Overcrowding in Saudi Arabia

Atheer Alotaibi, Bandar Alotaibi, Dania Farooq — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0800

Background

Patients seeking emergency department (ED) care for non-acute conditions are a major contributor to ED overcrowding, which results in longer wait times.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study, conducted using an online survey among the Saudi population to assess their awareness about primary healthcare clinics (PHCCs) and urgent care clinics (UCCs), their role, and their scope of practice.

Results

A total of 565 participants were included in this study. Most of the respondents (81.1%) reported lengthy waiting times in the ED. Moreover, most (81.6%) stated that they had never visited a family doctor, yet they (92.6%) favoured having one for follow-up care. Close to half of the participants (50.3%) reported attending PHCCs without an appointment, and the majority of them (69.2%) said that PHCCs were overcrowded. Finally, most participants (92.4%) had not heard aboutUCCs.

Conclusion

ED overcrowding and prolonged waiting times remain a public concern. PHCCs and UCCs are underutilised, and this is attributed to the lack of awareness about their scope and their services.

Reduction of MERS-CoV Transmission among Healthcare Workers and Patients in Saudi Arabian Healthcare Settings: A Scoping Review

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0800

Background

No review consolidating available evidence of the various interventions for preventing MERS-CoV transmission in healthcare settings has been published to inform practice. The MERS-CoV outbreak in Saudi Arabia led to wide-scale hospitalisations and, among other individuals at risk, healthcare workers (HCW) were one of the most affected groups. This study evaluates the effectiveness of various interventions implemented to prevent MERS-CoV transmission to HCW and MERS-negative patients in Saudi Arabian healthcare settings.

Methods

This review summarises and evaluates the effectiveness of MERS-CoV infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in Saudi Arabian hospital settings. Instead of using ‘best quality/evidence’ studies, the review has included as many relevant studies as possible.

Results

Various IPC measures were deemed effective. However, since no analysis of their effectiveness had been undertaken, it was not possible to determine the interventions’ level of effectiveness as applied in hospital settings. The studies appeared to rely on the assumption that the extent of MERS-CoV transmission control observed was a direct reflection of the implemented IPC measures.

Conclusions

Robust studies, using empirical methods, should be conducted to measure the effectiveness of the various IPC measures developed and implemented to control MERS-CoV transmission

Vendor Attraction to Improve the PTM System: A Commentary

Sharafaldeen Bin Nafisah — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Advancement in healthcare technology has shaped modern healthcare delivery. Vendors that supply advanced technology are profit-driven, but at the same time their profit is contingent upon awareness of, and acceptability of, their products. Openness to ideas and critique is crucial to improving any existing system, and a proactive approach to advanced technology will be greatly beneficial in improving current practice.