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Background: This study aimed to determine the rate of telemedicine (TM) use and the levels of awareness, knowledge, attitude, and skills of TM among primary healthcare (PHC) providers. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 104 PHC providers were subjected to a validated AKAS scale via Survey Monkey. The tool consists of 4 parameters that users can respond to using a 4-point Likert scale to assess their awareness (12 statements), knowledge (11 statements), attitude (11 statements), and skills (13 statements) on TM. Total and percentage mean scores (PMS) were calculated for each parameter. Participants were categorized in each parameter into three categories: low (≤ 49% score), average (50-70% score), and high (≥ 71% score) levels. The association of AKAS levels with personal characteristics and TM use was investigated. The significance was set at p<0.05. Results: One-half of participants (51%) reported current use of TM, and two-thirds (63.5%) reported a high level of AKAS, with a PMS of 72.9±14.7, 95% CI: 70.1-75.7. There were significant associations between the following: years of experience and levels of knowledge (Χ2LT = 6.77, p= 0.009) and skills (Χ2LT = 4.85, p = 0.028), respectively; and total household income and levels of skills (Χ2LT = 6.91, p= 0.009). The rate of TM use was significantly associated with awareness levels (Χ2LT = 6.14, p = 0.013). Lack of training ranked as the first barrier (45.5%), followed by connection problems and tools' unavailability (35.1% each). The participants recommended providing TM training (41.1%) and stabilization of connection and networking signals (30.1%). Conclusion: Despite their high level of TM awareness, the rate of TM use by PHC providers is less than satisfactory. Establishing standardized TM training and supporting the network signals are recommended. A large-scale study on the impact of TM integration with PHC services is necessary.
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A caregiver attends to the needs or concerns of someone limited by disease, injury, or disability to enhance the patient's quality of life, which can be assessed in three areas: social, physical, and psychological. This cross-sectional study assessed the extent of burden experienced by the caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy in King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Zarit Burden Interview Arabic Abridged version (ZBI-A) was used to assess the level of burden experienced by caregivers. The data was collected and examined by professionals using the SPSS version 23. Based on the data of 50 participants, a mean ZBI-12 score of 12.22 ± 7.2 was reported. According to the ZBI scale, "No to mild burden," "Mild to moderate burden," and "High burden" were reported as 46% (n = 23), 38% (n = 19), and 16% (n = 8) of participants, respectively. The internal consistency of the ZBI-12 scale, assessed using Cronbach's alpha, was 0.664, indicating a satisfactory level of internal consistency. It was determined that caregivers of individuals undergoing PD and HD encounter different degrees of burden, with a significant proportion of caregivers experiencing a substantial burden.
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BACKGROUND: The quality of life (QoL) of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) who undergo dialysis is a reliable predictor of their long-term survival. Hemodialysis is the most common form of kidney replacement therapy for ESKD, followed by peritoneal dialysis. This study aimed to identify the factors affecting QoL in ESKD patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) or hemodialysis (HD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between June and July 2021 to assess the QoL of patients with ESKD who underwent peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis. Patients who had been on dialysis for at least one year were included. The Arabic version of the Quality of Life Index-Dialysis (QLI-D) version III was used to measure the QoL. RESULTS: A total of 210 patients completed the questionnaire. The overall QLI score was 21.73 ± 4.2, with subscales for health and functioning (20.35 ± 5.2), social and economic (20.20 ± 4.8), psychological/spiritual (23.94 ± 4.9), and family (24.95 ± 4.5). The QLI scores for PD and HD patients were 21.80 ± 4.4 and 21.72 ± 4.1, respectively. SOCSUB (p = 0.031) was significantly associated with group and income, whereas QLI (p = 0.003), HFSUB (p = 0.013), SOCSUB (p = 0.002), and PSPSUB (p = 0.003) were significantly correlated with group and years of dialysis. CONCLUSION: The study found that patients were most satisfied with their family, health and functioning, and social/economic subscales. Income and years of dialysis were found to be predictive factors of QoL. Overall, peritoneal patients in this study demonstrated a better QoL than HD patients.