Perception of the Accreditation of the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment at Different Health Colleges in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Following the guidelines for maintaining quality set forth by the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) accreditation procedure, Saudi higher education institutions, including health sciences colleges, must adhere to these guidelines. This study aims to assess the perception of personnel involved in NCAAA accreditation processes about the purpose, process, motivation, and level of involvement in the NCAAA accreditation at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS). Methods The study was conducted at KSAU-HS, Jeddah. The participants included 15 administrators and 32 faculties from the College of Medicine, College of Applied Medical Sciences, and College of Nursing with experience in the NCAAA process. A questionnaire was used to determine how motivated and involved people feel about the accreditation process. Data were examined statistically with SPSS (Version 23; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), and descriptive statistics were used. Results Forty-seven participants (23 men, 24 women, ages 36 to 55) took part in the study, of which 68% were faculty members and 32% were administrators with a variety of skill sets from the three colleges. Most participants displayed a positive attitude toward the NCAAA accreditation's motive and level of commitment. Conclusions Most of the participants in the current study contended with the NCAAA process and deemed it substantial long-term improvements.

Effectiveness and Needs Assessment of Faculty Development Programme for Medical Education: Experience from Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: Faculty members are the most important resource in any institution of higher education as medical education has been, and continues to be, a priority for medical colleges in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess faculty members' perceptions of faculty development programmes (FDPs) in supporting important goals in medical education. In addition, this study aimed to assess faculty members' perceived needs. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2016 and August 2017 and involved participants from six universities in Saudi Arabia's Western Province. The survey consisted of 31 items designed to assess FDP effectiveness and 49 items designed to assess needs in FDPs. RESULTS: A total of 210 faculty members participated in the study (response rate = 52.5%) and identified 49 needs. Faculty members perceived personal improvement in delivering medical education and the provision of greater educational involvement as the most effective considerations in an FDP. The respondents considered 13 needs to be of utmost importance; the remaining were considered important. CONCLUSION: This study assessed and identified faculty needs and important skills to consider when establishing an FDP. Furthermore, it provided information addressing the needs of, or gaps between, current and desired conditions in medical education in Saudi Arabia. The study also identified the most important elements (i.e. personal improvement) of faculty-perceived effectiveness for a successful FDP in medical education.

Assessment of the Burden of Multiple Sclerosis Patients' Caregivers in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that constitutes a high burden on both patients and caregivers. Although many studies have assessed the burden of MS caregivers worldwide, no such studies have been conducted in Saudi Arabia. In this study, we aim to assess the burden of MS patients' caregivers in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional study included caregivers of MS patients (for >1 year) who visited the neurology clinic at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between July 2017 and December 2018. The study utilized the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) to assess the burden on MS patients' caregivers. In addition, the caregivers' demographic profile and certain information regarding the patient were also collected through an oral interview. Results There were a total of 219 respondents, of which 117 (53.4%) male caregivers. For ZBI, the majority of caregivers reported little or no burden (57.1%), followed by a mild to moderate burden (30.1%), then a moderate to severe burden (10.5%), and only five (2.3%) reported a severe burden. Conclusion Our results showed a limited burden of MS on the life caregivers of MS patients. We stress the importance of assessing the burden in MS patients and caregivers as routine practice with the other important measures such as quality of life and medication compliance. The finding of this study will help in encouraging medical centers to establish more specialized MS clinics that put into consideration the psychological factors, burden of the disease, multidisciplinary approach, and support groups, which are currently few in number.