The prevalence and predictors of diabetes in a private health insurance scheme: An analysis of three million beneficiaries in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading threat to population health in Saudi Arabia. Addressing NCDs is a priority for health-care transformation, and understanding the current disease prevalence is crucial. The prevalence in other settings is unknown because studies have relied on data from households or public health-care institutions. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and predictors of diabetes in the privately insured population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study explored the prevalence and predictors of diabetes in beneficiaries aged 15 years or older who sought medical care in 2022. Data were sourced from the National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Services, a unified health insurance claim platform. We used the International Classification of Disease-10 to capture the condition. To identify predictors of diabetes, we employed a backward selection approach for logistic regression. RESULTS: Over 3.3 million beneficiaries sought medical care during the study. The population was relatively young aged 26-39 years, (47.5%) and two-thirds of males. The prevalence of diabetes was 11.0% and varied across regions, with the highest in Bahah (18.4%) and the lowest in Jizan (9.5%). Age, gender, nationality, insurance company size, body mass index, region, hypertension, and coronary heart disease were significant predictors of diabetes. Hypertensive patients were over five times more likely to have diabetes than those without hypertension (odds ratio OR = 5.08; 95% confidence interval CI = 5.02-5.24). Saudis were 30% more likely to have diabetes than other nationalities (OR = 1.3; 95% CI = 1.28-1.31). CONCLUSION: We found a higher prevalence of diabetes in privately insured beneficiaries than the recent national estimate. This necessitates population health management strategies at all levels (primary, secondary, and tertiary) to mitigate the burden of diabetes in privately insured individuals. This study provides valuable baseline data for the prevalence of diabetes in this population and emphasizes the urgent need for targeted interventions, especially in regions with a higher prevalence.

Unifying the death notification form: Recommendations by the Saudi Health Council task force.

OBJECTIVES: Death reporting and certification forms are essential elements of a country's healthcare policies. KSA faces several challenges regarding death reporting and certification. This study aims to provide recommendations to unify death notifications in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: In 2019, the General Secretariat of the Saudi Health Council designed a qualitative research project that aimed to provide recommendations to unify death notifications. The council convened a task force of physicians and healthcare administrators to design and conduct qualitative research to review the Saudi Health Council's policies related to death certification and investigate potential methods of improvement. In addition, the task force performed an extensive review of the literature and current practices in KSA. RESULTS: The task force proposed a set of robust recommendations to correct the issues affecting the current systems of death reporting and certification. CONCLUSIONS: This report presents the working methodology and recommendations of the task force.

Public knowledge and behaviours relating to antibiotic use in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A systematic review.

The aim of this review was to assess public knowledge and behaviours in relation to antibiotic use in GCC countries. A systematic review was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and other relevant databases. Cross-sectional studies published from January 2000 to June 2017 relating to public knowledge and behaviours towards antibiotic use were included. Overall nine studies met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Nearly half of general public respondents in the GCC region reported a lack of knowledge about antibiotic use and showed negative attitudes towards antibiotic utilisation. Penicillin was the most frequently misused antibiotic, particularly for self-medication. Most respondents declared that they obtained information on antibiotics from pharmacists. Pharmacies were the major source of antibiotics used for self-medication. A multi-disciplinary approach must be put in place to educate the public on appropriate antibiotic use, to improve policies regarding the rational prescription of antimicrobials and to increase regulation enforcement.