Assessment of burnout, resilience, and thriving among academic health professionals: findings from an international study.

Introduction: Burnout, resilience, and thriving significantly impact academics, particularly in health professions, where responsibilities are extensive. This study aimed to explore these constructs among academic health professionals, examining sociodemographic and work-related factors influencing these outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among academic health professionals via web-based professional networks from August 2022 to February 2023. Validated tools were used, and descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Results: 505 participants were included, predominantly female (63%), with a mean age of 38.15 ± 9.6 years. High burnout was reported by 10.9%, 13.7% experienced exhaustion, and 6.3% were disengaged. Resilience and thriving were moderate at 59.2 and 51.9%, respectively. Age correlated negatively with burnout (r = -0.131, p = 0.003) but positively with resilience (r = 0.178, p < 0.001). Females reported higher exhaustion (p = 0.014), while males showed greater resilience (p = 0.016). Instructors exhibited lower resilience compared to assistant professors (p < 0.001) and associate professors (p < 0.001). Those at public universities reported higher exhaustion than those at private universities (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Variable levels of burnout, resilience, and thriving were observed among academic health professionals, influenced by sociodemographic and work-related factors. Interventions targeting resilience and thriving may mitigate burnout risk and enhance engagement among academics in health professions.

Prevalence, types and disclosure of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients in Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the paucity of scientific evidence, CAM is widely used for the prevention and treatment of illness among patients with chronic kidney disease, including end-stage renal disease and kidney transplant recipients. It is evident that the irrational use of CAM among CKD patients and its non-disclosure to healthcare providers could lead to adverse drug events. Hence, the current study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence, types, and non-disclosure of CAM use among CKD patients and kidney transplant recipients in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 170 CKD patients (121 with stages 3 and 4, two with stage 5 and on hemodialysis, and 47 kidney transplant recipients). Face-to-face questionnaire-based interviews were conducted employing a convenience sampling technique. The study outcomes were the prevalence of CAM, types of CAM use, monthly expenditure on CAM, the source of information about CAM, and CAM disclosure to healthcare providers. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The study found that out of 170, 60 (35.3%) CKD patients use CAM. The most used CAM was Acacia gum (49, 81.6%) followed by spiritual therapies (34, 56.6%). Female CKD patients had higher use of CAM compared to the male gender (p = 0.015). The monthly expenditures that most users (47, 78.3%) spent on CAM were less than 50 Saudi Riyals (SR). The study results also showed that 55% of CKD patients did not report their CAM use to their physicians. Furthermore, 46.6% of CAM users discontinue their use of CAM after observing no benefit. CONCLUSION: This study reported relatively high use of CAM among CKD patients in Saudi Arabia. The study found that most CKD patients use Acacia gum and spiritual therapies and do not disclose the use of CAM to healthcare professionals, which could lead to adverse drug events. Therefore, the study recommends that healthcare providers should inquire and provide evidence-based counselling about the use of CAM to CKD patients to prevent any adverse drug event or unwanted effect on the renal function of the patients.

Modulation of the Morphological Architecture of Mn2O3 Nanoparticles to MnCoO Nanoflakes by Loading Co3+ Via a Co-Precipitation Approach for Mosquitocidal Development.

The spread of many infectious diseases by vectors is a globally severe issue. Climate change and the increase of vector resistance are the primary sources of rising mosquito populations. Therefore, advanced approaches are needed to prevent the dispersal of life-threatening diseases. Herein, Mn2O3 NPs and MnCoO nanocomposites were presented as mosquitocidal agents. The synthesized samples were prepared by a co-precipitation route and characterized using different techniques indicating the change of host Mn2O3 structure to 2D MnCoO nanoflakes with Co3+ integration. The thermal decomposition of the nanoparticles was examined by TGA analysis, showing high stability. The energy gap (Eg) of Mn2O3 was estimated within the visible spectrum of the value 2.95 eV, which reduced to 2.80 eV with doping support. The impact of Mn2O3 and MnCoO on immature stages was investigated by semithin photomicrographs exhibiting significant changes in the midgut, fat tissue and muscles of the third larval instar. Moreover, the external deformations in pupae were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Current state of career placement and employment opportunities for Doctor of Pharmacy graduates: A cross-sectional analysis from a college of pharmacy, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Traditionally, graduates from colleges of pharmacy in Saudi Arabia work mainly in hospital settings, and only a few graduates work in other practice settings. However, several initiatives and national plans have recently been introduced to facilitate employment in community pharmacies and the pharmaceutical industry/companies. Consequently, the objectives of this study were to explore the current state of career placement, type of employment sectors, and practice settings that Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduates join based on recent developments in the profession. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The target population was PharmD graduates from Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. Consequently, all 162 graduates from three recent cohorts (2018-2020) were contacted to participate in this survey. Results: A total of 157 graduates participated in this study, yielding a response rate of 96.91 %. Of the participants, 92 (58.6 %) were female graduates. The overall rate of employment was 84.7 %. Moreover, a higher proportion of male graduates than female graduates (97.1 % versus 73.7 %, P = 0.006) were employed. In this study, the three main sectors that the graduates joined were the pharmaceutical industry and companies (41.2 %), community pharmacies (29.4 %), and medical cities, hospitals and clinics (23.5 %). In addition, almost the same proportions of male and female graduates joined the pharmaceutical industry and companies (40.3 % versus 42.1 %). However, a higher proportion of male graduates than female graduates joined community pharmacies (32.3 % versus 26.3 %). Conversely, a higher proportion of female graduates joined medical cities, hospitals and clinics compared to male graduates (28.1 % versus 19.4 %). Conclusion: The current employment of PharmD graduates in the job market is generally high, but further improvement could be made, especially for female graduates. Moreover, the study findings showed that jobs are shifting toward community pharmacies and the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, we believe that decision-makers in pharmacy education and curriculum developers must consider these trends and ensure that there is adequate preparation for careers in community pharmacy practice and other sectors of the profession in the curriculum.

Comparative Study of Larvicidal Activity of Spinel Co3O4 Nanorods and Entomopathogenic Metarhizium brunneum Conidia against Culex pipiens.

Herein, we report the synthesis of spinel cobalt oxide nanorods (Co3O4 NRs) by a modified co-precipitation approach and examine their larvicidal activity against Culex pipiens. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared Co3O4 NRs were emphasized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that Co3O4 nanostructures have a face-centered spinel cubic crystal structure with a mean crystallite size of 38 nm. These nanostructures have a rod like shape with a mean diameter of 30 nm and an average length of 60 nm. The TGA measurements revealed the high stability of the formed spinel cubic structure at 400 °C. The optical behavior indicates the direct transition of electrons through an optical band gap in the range of 2.92-3.08 eV. These unique chemical and physical properties of Co3O4 NRs enabled them to be employed as a strong agent for killing the C. pipiens. A comparison study was employed between the as-prepared Co3O4 and the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum as a control agent of C. pipiens larvae. The results revealed that the as-prepared nanorods have higher mortality against C. pipiens larvae compared with the well-known M. brunneum.

A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Use among Patients with Chronic Diseases (CDs) in Qassim, Saudi Arabia.

This study aims to investigate CAM use among CD patients from Qassim, Saudi Arabia and to compare CAM practice with different demographic and disease characteristics of the participants. A cross-sectional study was conducted among CD patients. During the three-months of data collection period, a total of 377 patients were approached and 208 patients participated in the study, giving a response rate of 55.17%. A p value of <0.05 was considered as significant. Among the study population, 94 (45.2%) patients were CAM users. Diabetes mellitus patients were the majority (48 (51.06%)) followed by hypertensive patients (34 (36.17%)). Spiritual therapies were the most common CAM followed by herbal products. Among CAM users, 41 (19.7%) patients reported disclosing CAM use to their health care providers. Among all the sociodemographic variables, gender (p = 0.029), marital status (p = 0.034) and education level (p = 0.047) were significantly associated with CAM use. In conclusion, the use of CAM among CD patients was relatively high in Qassim. Patients reported using CAM without disclosing to their health care providers which is a major health risk. It is critical to counsel CD patients regarding rational and informed CAM use in order to prevent harmful and unwanted effects.

Understanding Patient Needs Regarding Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Smartphone Applications: A Qualitative Insight from Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: A pragmatic shift in the healthcare sector characterized by moving from curative to preventive approaches highlights the role of pharmacovigilance in patient safety. There have been few published studies on patient reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in Saudi Arabia. This qualitative study aims to explore the community opinions and the need for patient-friendly smartphone applications (SPAs) to enhance their participation in ADR reporting. METHODS: Purposeful sampling was followed to recruit study participants, a semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct interviews, and the saturation was reached after the 13th interviewer; no new information was obtained after two subsequent interviews. All the interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by means of a standard content analysis framework. RESULTS: As per the WHO guidelines, eleven participants were aware of the term "ADR". All the participants denied receiving any prior education and attending events about ADRs and were unaware of the Saudi FDA-ADR reporting systems. The use of technologies such as SPAs has been widely accepted with a high level of concern for data confidentiality and privacy. CONCLUSIONS: These findings point out the need to build patient-oriented educational programs to increase their awareness of ADR reporting and to prioritize the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to be integrated in the Saudi healthcare system to develop future SPAs for improving both patient safety and signal detection of ADRs.