Predictors of students' academic achievements in allied health professions at King Saud University: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The admissions criteria for colleges of medicine and allied health professions include several cognitive predictors. Little is known of the admissions criteria for the allied health professions and their correlation with students' academic performance. This study investigates predictors for students' academic achievements at allied health colleges at King Saud University. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTINGS: College of Applied Medical Sciences, College of Nursing, and Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, Saudi Arabia. PARTICIPANTS: The sample comprised 1634 students. METHOD: The high school grade average (HSGA), aptitude test (APT) score, achievement test (ACT) score, and current grade point average (GPA) were retrieved. The data were analysed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and regression analysis. RESULTS: HSGA, ACT, and APT were significantly positively associated with students' academic performance in colleges for all allied health professions. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the most predictive variable for all allied healthcare professions was HSGA (ß = 0.347), followed by ACT (ß = 0.270) and APT (ß = 0.053) scores. The regression model indicated that the HSGA, APT, and ACT together predicted 26.5% of the variation in students' cumulative GPAs at the time of graduation. CONCLUSION: The admissions criteria for the allied health colleges at King Saud University predicted only 26.5% of the students' cumulative GPA at the time of graduation. Other noncognitive admission criteria should be taken into consideration to improve the prediction of students' academic potential.

Health promoting lifestyle of university students in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional assessment.

BACKGROUND: College is a critical time where students are more prone to engage in risky health behaviors known to negatively affect well-being, such as physical inactivity, stress, and poor dietary habits. A health promoting lifestyle is an important determinant of health status and is recognized as a major factor for the maintenance and improvement of health. This study was designed to assess the health-promoting lifestyle of students in health colleges and non-health colleges in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A total of 1656 students participated in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Data gathering was conducted from November 2016 to February 2017 at King Saud University. Participating students completed a self-reported questionnaire that included questions regarding their demographic characteristics and their health-promoting behaviors. RESULTS: The majority of participants were females (70.4%), 20% of the participants were overweight and 11.3%, were obese. The analysis showed that there was a significant difference between health colleges and non-health colleges with regards to the factor of health responsibility. Students at both schools were found to have an inadequate level of adherence to recommendations regarding physical activity and healthy eating habits. The analysis also found that majority of the students in both colleges do not attend educational programs on health care. The model shows that gender, type of college, year in school, and family structure were significant predictors of the health lifestyle of students in Saudi Arabia. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study indicate that university students are leading unhealthy lives, where the majority of them have unhealthy eating habits and poor physical activity level. Universities are ideal settings for implementing health promotion programs. Therefore, planning and implementing programs to motivate students to be more responsible for their own health, to engage more in physical activity, and to practice healthy eating habits and other forms of wellness are of paramount importance.

A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Literacy and Awareness, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Colorectal Cancer and Its Screening in Riyadh Region.

This study aims to explore the association between functional health literacy and awareness for, beliefs, and attitudes of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and CRC screening test in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 256 participants from two different tertiary level hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were recruited in this study. The participants were interviewed by a trained researcher between October and December 2015. All respondents answered a three-part questionnaire which included demographic data, questions related to CRC awareness, attitude, behaviour, and short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA). More than half of the participants had an inadequate awareness of functional health literacy skills (FHLS), 16.4 % had marginal of FHLS awareness and 17.6 % had adequate awareness about FHLS as assessed by the STOFHLA. Overall, the majority of the participants in both marginal and adequate aware groups showed a limited awareness about colorectal cancer screening and testing. A significant association was found on awareness of the patients about frequencies that they should have been tested for colorectal cancer and functional health literacy. No significant association was found between functional health literacy as assessed by STOFHLA and concerns of Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) (p = 0.384) and sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy might cause embarrassment (p = 0.089), harm (p = 0.917), and pain (p = 0.849). The present study revealed a low level of health literacy among Saudi adults in Riyadh region. Although the level of literacy was low, the bigger concern is that of the poor awareness and beliefs of Saudi adults about CRC and CRC screening.

A Single-Blind Study Evaluating the Efficacy of Gold Nanoparticle Photothermal-Assisted Liposuction in an Ex Vivo Human Tissue Model.

BACKGROUND: Liposuction is one of the most performed cosmetic surgery procedures. In a previously reported study, gold-nanoparticle (GNP) laser-assisted liposuction (NanoLipo) was shown to improve procedure parameters and outcomes in a porcine model. OBJECTIVES: An ex vivo human liposuction model was developed to assess the ease, efficacy, and outcomes of NanoLipo, and to further explore its mechanism of action in facilitating liposuction. METHODS: NanoLipo was compared to a control without GNPs in sets of fresh, nonperfused, anatomically symmetric, matched tissue specimens from 12 patients. A subset of three experiments was performed under single-blinded conditions. Intraoperative assessments included lipoaspirate volume, percentage of free oil, ease of removal, and temperature rise. Specimens were palpated, visualized for evenness, and graded with and without skin. Postoperative assessment included viability staining of the lipoaspirate and remaining tissues. Microcomputed tomography was used to assess the distribution of infused GNPs within the tissues. RESULTS: NanoLipo consistently removed more adipose tissue with more liberated triglycerides compared to control. NanoLipo specimens were smoother, thinner, and had fewer and smaller irregularities. Infused solutions preferentially distributed between fibrous membranes and fat pearls. After NanoLipo, selective structural-tissue disruptions, indicated by loss of metabolic activity, were observed. Thus, NanoLipo likely creates a bimodal mechanism of action whereby fat lobules are dislodged from surrounding fibro-connective tissue, while lipolysis is simultaneously induced. CONCLUSIONS: NanoLipo showed many advantages compared to control under blinded and nonblinded conditions. This technology may be promising in facilitating fat removal.

Satisfaction of Patients Attending in Primary Healthcare Centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Random Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aims to determine the level of satisfaction of patients who visit primary healthcare centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The investigation was a cross-sectional study conducted in twenty randomly selected primary healthcare centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from October to December 2014. A descriptive data analysis was performed. Eligible participants had visited at least one of the selected primary healthcare centers within the past 12 months. A total of 1741 participants completed the survey, providing a response rate of 87 % (43 % male, 57 % female). The highest satisfaction rates were in the following areas: comprehensiveness and coordination 76.2 % (95 % CI 74.8 ± 77.5), communication 72.7 % (95 % CI 71.3 ± 74) and attitude of staff 73.4 % (95 % CI 72.1 ± 74.8) The areas of greatest concern expressed by the participants were the length of the wait and the quality of the facility 55.4 % (95 % CI 53.3 ± 57.5), 50.5 % (95 % CI 48.3 ± 52.7), respectively. The majority of the patients attending primary healthcare centers in Riyadh showed high levels of satisfaction; however, there are still some factors that need to be considered and improved upon. These include the accessibility of primary healthcare centers as well as waiting time of patients. The results of the current study showed relative improvement in other factors such as comprehensiveness and coordination, communication and attitude of staff. The level of satisfaction of patients and stakeholders shows the progress of the quality of care in healthcare facilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life Among Caregivers of Patients with Cancer Diagnosis: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia.

A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted over 5 months in two tertiary hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 5-month period was from November 2014 to March 2015. The survey instrument used was a Short-Form Health Survey SF-36 (the RAND 36-item) questionnaire that measure QOL of the caregivers. Our study subjects included 289 randomly selected Saudi caregivers. Almost all the mean scores were increased (higher than 50) with the exception of levels of energy/fatigue. Role functioning/physical scored the highest (81.02 ± 35.33) followed by physical functioning (76.34 ± 29.83). Other domains of QOL scored (71.02 ± 35.33) for the role functioning/emotional; pain (71.15 ± 28.48), emotional well-being (60.58 ± 18.44); social functioning (58.39 ± 25.83), and general health (54.32 ± 17.08). In multivariate regression analysis, the model predicts that the contributions of age, gender, and the cancer type of patients were a statistically significant predictor with the QOL domains of caregivers. Cancer caregivers in Saudi Arabia caring for patients more than 1 year after diagnosis reported favorable QOL. Factors associated with QOL domains included age, gender of the caregivers, and the types of cancer patients. These findings are encouraging as a baseline for providing more information to future studies in QOL of caregivers.

Barriers to Cancer Clinical Trial Participation Among Saudi Nationals: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aims to determine the factors that act as barriers to Saudi cancer patients in participating in a clinical trial (CT). A total of 244 patients from two different tertiary level hospitals (King Khalid University Hospital and King Fahad Medical City Hospital) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants were interviewed by a trained researcher between September and November 2015. All respondents answered a three-part questionnaire which includes demographics, clinical information, and questions related to awareness of CTs, willingness to participate, and factors affecting participation in CTs. The mean age of the participants was 50.83, and 57 % of the participants were females. Most of the participants (63.5 %) were currently being treated for cancer, and 28 % were diagnosed with breast cancer followed by colorectal cancer. Health status or quality of life was self-reported as acceptable by 27.9 % of the participants, and 25 % of the participants at stage II of cancer. The factors that act as barriers to Saudi cancer patients in participating in a CT can be categorized into patient- and physician-related factors. Patient factors include lack of awareness, misconception and fear in participating in CTs; physician-related factors comprise of lack of encouragement from physician to patients in participating in a CT. The study identified few major barriers to participation in CTs. Increased patient awareness and recruitment strategies are required to increase accrual of patients including training for physicians and disseminating easy-to-read tools to the public.

Random Cross-Sectional Determination of the Level of Awareness Among Female Saudi Patients About Breast Cancer.

The purpose of this study was to randomly determine the level of awareness and knowledge among female Saudi patients about the risk factors and symptoms of breast cancer as well as any awareness about the practices for breast cancer self-examination. A random cross-sectional survey was conducted over 4 months at two private medical clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 4-month period was from December 2013 to March 2014. The survey instrument was a questionnaire that was both self-explanatory and user-friendly. Our study subjects included 174 randomly selected Saudi female patients with no medical history of breast cancer. These patients visited these private clinics for medical advice or for consultation on problems unrelated to breasts. Participants' perception of risk factors regarding early menses showed only 47.1 %. The most common risk factor known by the participants was a family history of breast cancer (84 %). The most widely recognized symptoms of breast cancer were occurrence of breast lumps (86.2 %) and breast pain (93.7 %). Awareness of information regarding breast self-examination (BSE) was 81.6 % in general. Many were aware of the opinion that proper and assisted knowledge about BSE can help in early detection of breast cancer. The patients were also aware that BSE is the most widely used method of screening for breast cancer in clinics and hospitals. All the participants showed sufficient knowledge about the risk factors and symptoms of breast cancer. These baseline findings are encouraging for providing more self-explanatory information (to patients) and guidance to health authorities for developing effective breast health care programs in the entire Kingdom for the female population and not only for patients visiting health care clinics for advice on other medical issues.

Predicting Relationship of Smoking Behavior Among Male Saudi Arabian College Students Related to Their Religious Practice.

This study describes the relationships of smoking behavior among a sample of male college students in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to their religious practice, parents' smoking behaviors and attitudes, peers' smoking behaviors and attitudes, and knowledge about the dangers of smoking. A 49-item questionnaire was developed and pilot tested in KSA. This questionnaire was completed during the academic year 2013 by 715 undergraduate male students at the King Saud University in Riyadh. 29.8% of the students were smokers (13.8% cigarette smokers, 7.3% sheesha smokers, and 27% cigarette and sheesha smokers). Students in the College of Education were much more likely to be smokers than the students in the College of Science. The differences between the College of Education and the College of Science was statistically significant (χ (2) = 16.864. df = 1, p = .001). Logistic regression analysis suggested that students who were more faithful in their practice of Islam were 15% less likely to smoke. Students who were more knowledgeable about the dangers of smoking were 8% less likely to smoke. The logistic analysis identified peers (friends) as the most powerful factor in predicting smoking. The four-factor model had an overall classification accuracy of 78%. The need to understand more fully the dynamics of peer relations among Saudi Arabian males as a basis for developing tobacco education/prevention programs. Prevention programs will need to include education and changes in the college level or earlier in KSA.

Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Coronavirus Pandemic Among Public in Saudi Arabia.

New cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were reported in Gulf countries in 2014, and to date, it has reportedly infected 837 people and killed 291 globally. Awareness of an individual's knowledge and being able to predict his or her behavior is crucial when evaluating clinical preparedness for pandemics with a highly pathogenic virus. The aim of this study was to identify awareness, attitudes, and practices related to MERS-CoV among the public in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study of 1147 adult subjects recruited from various shopping malls in Riyadh was conducted. All the subjects were interviewed using a questionnaire that tested their knowledge, attitudes, and use of precautionary measures in relation to the MERS-CoV pandemic. The majority of the participants showed high levels of concern and had utilized precautionary measures. After adjusting for other variables, gender was the only significant predictor of the level of concern (P < .001), while knowledge was the significant predictor of both the level of concern and precaution (P < .001). High concern translated into a higher compliance with precautionary recommendations. Frequent communication between health care providers and the public is recommended to help dispel myths about the disease and to empower the public with the information needed to help the Saudi government in containing the disease outbreak.

Prevalence of tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke among saudi medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This study was designed to determine the prevalence of active smoking and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure among medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and to examine their attitudes and beliefs towards tobacco control programs. The investigation was a cross-sectional study conducted during the first semester of 2013 at King Saud University School of Medicine located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Invited to participate in this study were 1,789 medical students. A descriptive data analysis was performed. A total of 805 medical students completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of experimentation with cigarette smoking was 11.3%. The estimated prevalence of current smoking among the study participants was 4.7%. The majority of the students held positive attitudes toward tobacco control and approximately 93.1% of the students felt that health care professionals should be required to receive training for cessation counseling while only 36.8% of the students reported having received any training in this area. Over the study's duration 57.7% of participants reported that ETS exposure was much higher in public places, while 13.9% reported exposure at home. This investigation revealed that ETS exposure among medical students in Riyadh is at an alarmingly high rate. The data suggests a need for a more robust smoke-free policy and a commitment to greater enforcement in public places. The results of the study also demonstrate a positive attitude among participants for tobacco control. It also indicates a need for cessation counseling and training which could be incorporated into medical school curriculum.

Attitudes of students and employees towards the implementation of a totally smoke free university campus policy at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional baseline study on smoking behavior following the implementation of policy.

Tobacco smoking is the preventable health issue worldwide. The harmful consequences of tobacco smoking and exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke are well documented. The aim of this study is to compares the prevalence of smoking among students, faculty and staff and examines their interest to quit. Study also determines the difference on perceptions of smoking and non-smoking students, faculty and staff with regard to implementation of a smoke-free policy. A cross-sectional survey was administered to one of the largest universities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the academic year of 2013. A Likert scale was used on questionnaires towards attitude to smoking and smoking free policy. The Chi squared test was used to determine the difference of support on completely smoke free campus for smokers and non-smokers. Smoking rates were highest among staff members (36.8 %) followed by students (11.2 %) and faculty (6.4 %). About half of the smokers (53.7 %) within the university attempted to quit smoking. Students (OR 3.10, 95 % CI 1.00-9.60) and faculty (OR 4.06, 95 % CI 1.16-14.18) were more likely to make quit smoking than staff members. Majority of the respondents (89.6 %) were supportive of a smoking--free policy and indicated that should be strictly enforced especially into public places. Results also showed that smokers were more likely to support a smoke-free policy if there are no fines or penalties. These baseline findings will provide information among administrators in formulating and carrying out a total smoke free policy. Although the majority of people within the King Saud University demonstrate a high support for a smoke-free policy, administrators should consider difference between smokers and non-smokers attitudes when implementing such a policy.

Smoking among Saudi students: a review of risk factors and early intentions of smoking.

This review aims to determine the prevalence of smoking among Saudi students and to study and to identify, synthesize and summarize the predictors that initiate smoking among students in different ages in Saudi Arabia. Different databases were searched (Web of Science, Google Scholar, Pub Med and Science Direct) with keywords. This search was carried out in October 2013. Studies that included were evaluated for methodological soundness by giving a quality score based on Russell and Gregory's criteria. A total 12 relevant articles were included in this review. The findings show that the prevalence of smoking is still in higher rates. The age of smoking was started among adolescents ranged from 10 to 15 years old while from university students were from 16 years old. The main reason for smoking among adolescents was influenced by friends. Among college students were peer pressure followed by the stress, media and imitation of others. Curiosity was a reason for having tried smoking and parents was perceived to be the first source for smoking. Religion was considered the main factor against smoking among the adolescent non-smokers and health consideration among college students. Appropriate smoking control programs on adolescent should be initiated they become the future professionals of the society. Smoking control programs should be considered in this group.

Impact of quarantine on sleep quality and psychological status in COVID-19 suspected cases in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate into mental health outcomes such as stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as sleep quality in suspected COVID-19 quarantined cases. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that used an online survey to target suspected COVID-19 cases in quarantine facilities. Data were collected on several aspects of participants' sociodemographic characteristics, sleep disturbance, and mental health status. Depression, anxiety, stress scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to measure both the psychological impact and mental health status. Results: Of the 362 people who took the survey, 234 (64.6%) were men, and 148 were between the ages of 26-35. Poor sleep was found to be prevalent in 65% of study participants. The rates of individuals reporting severe depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were 14.6%, 15%, and 15%, respectively. According to the findings, there were significant gender differences in depression and anxiety (p = 0.001). When compared to the other age groups, participants aged 26-35 reported the highest level of stress (p = 0.001). Being male [OR = -1.23, 95% CI (-2.75-1.95) P = 0.050], single [OR = 0.98, CI (0.15-4.20), P = 0.001], and a healthcare worker [OR = -2.20, 95% CI (-2.59-1.82), P = 0.001] were all associated with poor sleep quality. Conclusion: Approximately-one-third of quarantine COVID-19 patients had poor sleep quality with mild-moderate depression. Both anxiety and stress scales were prevalent in nearly half of the studied samples.

Deep Neural Networks for Optimal Selection of Features Related to Flu.

In recent times, humans who have been exposed to influenza A viruses (IAV) may not become hostile. Despite the fact that KLRD1 has been discovered as an influenza susceptibility biomarker, it remains to be seen if pre-exposure host gene expression can predict flu symptoms. In this paper, we enable the examination of flu using deep neural networks from input human gene expression datasets with various subtype viruses. This study enables the utilization of these datasets to forecast the spread of flu and can provide the necessary steps to eradicate the flu. The simulation is conducted to test the efficiency of the model in predicting the spread against various input datasets. The results of the simulation show that the proposed method offers a better prediction ability of 2.98% more than other existing methods in finding the spread of flu.

An Artificial Intelligence-Based Bio-Medical Stroke Prediction and Analytical System Using a Machine Learning Approach.

Stroke-related disabilities can have a major negative effect on the economic well-being of the person. When left untreated, a stroke can be fatal. According to the findings of this study, people who have had strokes generally have abnormal biosignals. Patients will be able to obtain prompt therapy in this manner if they are carefully monitored; their biosignals will be precisely assessed and real-time analysis will be performed. On the contrary, most stroke diagnosis and prediction systems rely on image analysis technologies such as CT or MRI, which are not only expensive but also hard to use. In this study, we develop a machine learning algorithm for the prediction of stroke in the brain, and this prediction is carried out from the real-time samples of electromyography (EMG) data. The study uses synthetic samples for training the support vector machine (SVM) classifier and then the testing is conducted in real-time samples. To improve the accuracy of prediction, the samples are generated using the data augmentation principle, which supports training with vast data. The simulation is conducted to test the efficacy of the model, and the results show that the proposed classifier achieves a higher rate of classification accuracy than the existing methods. Furthermore, it is seen that the rate of precision, recall, and f-measure is higher in the proposed SVM than in other methods.

Recurrent Neural Networks for Feature Extraction from Dengue Fever.

Dengue fever modelling in endemic locations is critical to reducing outbreaks and improving vector-borne illness control. Early projections of dengue are a crucial tool for disease control because of the unavailability of treatments and universal vaccination. Neural networks have made significant contributions to public health in a variety of ways. In this paper, we develop a deep learning modelling using random forest (RF) that helps extract the features of the dengue fever from the text datasets. The proposed modelling involves the data collection, preprocessing of the input texts, and feature extraction. The extracted features are studied to test how well the feature extraction using RF is effective on dengue datasets. The simulation result shows that the proposed method achieves higher degree of accuracy that offers an improvement of more than 12% than the existing methods in extracting the features from the input datasets than the other feature extraction methods. Further, the study reduces the errors associated with feature extraction that is 10% lesser than the other existing methods, and this shows the efficacy of the model.

Dense Convolutional Neural Network for Detection of Cancer from CT Images.

In this paper, we develop a detection module with strong training testing to develop a dense convolutional neural network model. The model is designed in such a way that it is trained with necessary features for optimal modelling of the cancer detection. The method involves preprocessing of computerized tomography (CT) images for optimal classification at the testing stages. A 10-fold cross-validation is conducted to test the reliability of the model for cancer detection. The experimental validation is conducted in python to validate the effectiveness of the model. The result shows that the model offers robust detection of cancer instances that novel approaches on large image datasets. The simulation result shows that the proposed method provides analyzes with 94% accuracy than other methods. Also, it helps to reduce the detection errors while classifying the cancer instances than other methods the several existing methods.

An Efficient Signal Processing Algorithm for Detecting Abnormalities in EEG Signal Using CNN.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is crucial for epilepsy detection; however, detecting abnormalities takes experience and knowledge. The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a technology that measures brain motion and represents the brain's function. EEG is an effective instrument for deciphering the brain's complicated activity. The information contained in the EEG signal pertains to the electric functioning of the brain. Neurologists have typically used direct visual inspection to detect epileptogenic abnormalities. This method is time-consuming, restricted by technical artifacts, produces varying findings depending on the reader's level of experience, and is ineffective at detecting irregularities. As a result, developing automated algorithms for detecting anomalies in EEGs associated with epilepsy is critical. The construction of a novel class of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for detecting aberrant waveforms and sensors in epilepsy EEGs is described in this research. In this study, EEG signals are analyzed using a convolutional neural network (CNN). For the automatic detection of abnormal and normal EEG indications, a novel deep one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D CNN) model is suggested in this paper. The regular, pre-ictal, and seizure categories are detected using this approach. The proposed model achieves an accuracy of 85.48% and a reduced categorization error rate of 14.5%.

Demographic Characteristics, Comorbidities, and Length of Stay of COVID-19 Patients Admitted Into Intensive Care Units in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Retrospective Study.

Background: This study aimed to describe the demographic characteristics and determine the risk factors associated with disease severity and length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay in a cohort of COVID-19 patients admitted into ICU in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a national, multi-center, retrospective cross-sectional study of all COVID-19 cases admitted into different ICUs in Saudi Arabia between March 2020 and September 202l. Demographic, clinical features, comorbidities, and length of stay (LOS) data were retrieved from the national Health Electronic Surveillance Network (HESN) and Taqassi databases at the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) for subsequent analyses. We used multiple linear regression models to determine risk factors associated with critical outcomes (including LOS in ICU) among COVID-19 cases. Results: A total of 12,436 COVID-19 patients were included in this study, with a mean age of 59.57 ± 18.30 years and 7,679 (62%) were <65 years old. COVID-19 was more common in males (N = 7,686, 61.9%) and Saudi nationals (N = 8,516, 68.5%). The clinical characteristic findings showed that 36.3% of patients required invasive ventilation whilst 65.4% received tracheostomies for ventilation, and 4% were on dialysis. Our analysis revealed that 2,978 (23.9%) patients had one comorbidity, 4,977 (47.4%) had two or more comorbidities, and diabetes (48.2%) was the most prevalent comorbidity, followed by hypertension (44.2%), and chronic cardiovascular disease (10.5%). Thirteen variables emerged as significant predictors of LOS in ICU using multiple linear regression analyses, with invasive ventilation as the strongest predictor of LOS in the ICU (beta = -0.68, p = 0.001) and hospital admission (beta = -0.65, p = 0.001). Conclusions: COVID-19 continues to affect millions of people around the world, with a mortality rate of about 2-3% of all infected patients. Our analysis revealed that comorbidities such as chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and older age were significant risk factors associated with a poorer prognosis and longer duration of stay in hospitals and ICU.