Community's compliance with measures for the prevention of respiratory infections in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory tract infections are the most common causes of both morbidity and mortality worldwid, and the management and prevention of acute respiratory infections is a global problem, especially in developing countries. This study sought to assess the community's compliance and practice of measures for the prevention of respiratory infections and discover their source of health information. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the five biggest shopping malls in Riyadh city in July 2014. The required sample size was 980 persons aged 15 or older, with 196 from each of the five biggest shopping malls from each of the five geographic areas of Riyadh. Data was collected by face-to-face interview using standardised questionnaire, and analyzed using SPSS. RESULTS: Overall, 48.3% of the participants thought that they were susceptible to any of the respiratory infections of pandemic influenza; 59.7% always washed their hands with water and soap and 34.8% used antibacterial soap. About 29% reported avoiding touching their eyes, noses, and mouths directly with their hands; 63.5% covered their noses and mouths with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. A substantial number said they "never" shared their personal stuff, including towels (70.5%) and utensils (49.0%) with others. Only 21.2% avoided crowded places or wore a mask (9.1%) in such a situation. A high proportion (62.8%) did not take the seasonal flu vaccine. The most common sources of health information included television/radio (47.9%), social media (29.4%), and friends/family (28.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Health authorities should seize every opportunity to prevent respiratory infections by adopting all evidence-based infection control measures to improve public awareness, attitude, and practice.

Assessment of knowledge and attitude toward organ donation among the Saudi population in Riyadh City.

We aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of the Saudi population and students of health science colleges as well as healthcare workers in Riyadh city about organ donation (OD). Data of this study were collected from 648 Saudi residents of Riyadh city using interviewer-administered questionnaires and online surveys. The participants included 503 from the general population and 145 health science professionals. The subjects included 252 males and 396 females with mean age of 27.09 ± 9 years. Majority of the participants (60%) were aware of OD from media as the main source of information, while only 30% had knowledge about Saudi center for organ transplantation (SCOT). It was found that 47.7% of the population agreed to donate both organs and tissue and 26% of them accepted the idea of OD to please Allah. The most important barrier (13%) was the belief that their bodies should be kept intact after death followed by ignorance about OD. Among health science professionals, 63% thought that everyone should be automatically registered as an organ donor while 15% believed that the donated organs could be misused. The majority of Riyadh's population knew the concept and procedure of OD; however, there was a lack of awareness of the presence of SCOT. Religion is not a barrier for OD in the Saudi population. Awareness programs are urgently needed to emphasize the importance of donation as well as clarification of wrong beliefs.

The Added Value of Postoperative Axial Imaging in Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip.

BACKGROUND: Redislocation is a dreaded complication after reduction of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in young children. While early detection facilitates urgent reoperation, delayed revisions are more complicated. Despite the weak evidence, an axial postoperative imaging tool is recommended. This study's goal is to compare the effectiveness of conventional pelvic radiography alone and axial imaging. METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively between 2012 and 2016. One study group comprised consecutive patients who had operative reduction followed by routine low-dose computed tomography (CT). Hips that had anteroposterior pelvic radiographs as the only confirmatory tool were used as a reference group. RESULTS: We identified 241 patients (339 hips). The mean age and follow up were 19.6 months ± 9.3, and 15.5 months ± 11.1, respectively. There were 147 hips in the radiography group and 192 in the CT group. Radiography detected only three out of nine redislocations during the same admission; in contrast, 2/2 redislocations in the routine CT group were addressed before hospital discharge (p<0.01). There was no significant delay in hospital discharge when CT was used (p= 0.28). CONCLUSION: Conventional radiography is not as effective as axial imaging in preventing late detection of redislocation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: level III, Diagnostic Study.