Rates, patterns, and predictors of complementary medicine use among patients with musculoskeletal diseases.

AIM: To investigate the extent of complementary medicine (CM) use and the most common therapies utilized by Jordanian patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) diseases. METHODS: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey of outpatient orthopedic and rheumatology patients at an academic medical center in Amman, Jordan between January and September 2020. RESULTS: A convenience sample of 1001 patients was interviewed (82% females). Pearson's chi-square comparisons showed that nutritional CM was used by 43.4% of patients, while 29.8% used physical CM, and 16% used both. Almost all used the nutritional or physical CM in addition to their prescribed treatment. Nutritional form use was significantly higher among females, older age groups, married people, and those who worked (p < .05). Physical form use was statistically more prevalent in older age groups and those with a higher level of education (p < .05). Family income and urban residence were not significantly associated with the use of either form of CM therapy. Olive oil was the most frequently reported nutritional type (22.9%), and cupping was the most reported physical type (41.6%). Recommendations to use CM came primarily from family members or friends (64% of nutritional CM users and 59% of physical CM users). A physician or pharmacist was cited more frequently with physical CM (24% versus 8% for the nutritional form). In contrast, media sources were cited more for nutritional than physical form (28% versus 7%). Over half of the patients believed they received the desired effect from CM. Surprisingly, only 9.5% of the patients admitted to discussing their CM use with their physician. CONCLUSION: CM use is prevalent among Jordanian patients with MSK disorders. Most patients rely on family and friends for recommendations, and they rarely inform their physician of the CM use. Physicians should routinely inquire about CM to provide patients with information regarding their benefits and risks.

Medical students and risk of COVID-19 infection: A descriptive cross-sectional study from the University of Jordan.

BACKGROUNDS: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with increasing morbidity and mortality has impacted the lives of the global population, including medical education. With the return of on-site medical education in Jordan, it is important to know whether this would pose any risk of COVID-19 infection in medical students. OBJECTIVE: To investigate COVID-19 infection infection rates among medical students and whether there is difference between preclinical and clinical students' infection rate. METHODS: The study is a cross-sectional study, designed to (1) determine the incidence of COVID-19 in clinical and preclinical medical students (2) determine if there is a difference in infection rates between clinical and preclinical students. The study was situated at the University of Jordan and its affiliated hospitals. Data were collected from the 4th of December 2020 till the 17th of February 2021through a structured web-based questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 1,830 responses were retrieved. Thirty-nine percent were males, and (61.5%) were females. Overall, 237(13%) of students reported testing positive for COVID-19 infection by PCR, of which 123 were clinical students (15.2%) and 114 were pre-clinical students (11.2%), representing a relative risk of 1.36 of COVID-19 infection among clinical students compared to pre-clinical students. This difference is statistically significant (P = 0.010). Rates of COVID-19 in females 13%; CI 7.5,18.4), were very close to those of males (12.9%; 95% CI 6.0,19.8). Positive COVID-19 cases peaked in November and October forming 36.3% and 32.9% of the cases, respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of positive COVID-19 tests was found to be higher among clinical students as compared to pre-clinical students. Commitment to general health safety precautions did not appear to be protective enough for clinical students. It is fundamental that additional strategies, including access to vaccines, are set, and deficiencies in current protections are identified to maintain students' safety and well-being.

School bullying: an increasingly recognized etiology for psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: report of two cases.

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are seizure-like episodes that are not associated with changes on electroencephalogram. They are the result of a wide range of possible psychological stressors including being a victim of bullying. Currently, reports regarding PNES in bullied patients are lacking. In this case report, we describe two cases; the first is a 10-year-old boy who presented to the emergency room once for visual loss and another for inability to walk. The other is a 12-year-old boy who has experienced recurrent episodes of loss of consciousness. Based on the negative investigations for any other possible diagnosis, and upon the nature of the episodes, a diagnosis of PNES was made after a history of bullying victimization was revealed. This suggests that PNES can result from psychological distress caused by school bullying victimization in children and highlights the importance of screening for bullying in patients with PNES.