Prevalence and Characteristics of People with Disabilities Among Abused Victims in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Abuse is an ongoing public health issue that results in increased morbidity and mortality rates. Abuse against individuals with disabilities is a pervasive and deeply concerning issue, often compounded by factors of vulnerability and dependence. The majority of disabled individuals experience abuse, with the majority enduring it repeatedly. Identifying the problem is the first step towards preventing abuse. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of people with disabilities among abused victims and the victim's associated risk factors in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study obtained data from the National Family Safety Registry. All registered children and adults between April 2017 and December 2022 from 93 centers across 13 regions of Saudi Arabia were included. Logistic regression models were used to determine the association between independent variables and victim-related risk factors such as the onset of abuse complications, the victim being an adult or child, the victim's gender, and whether they had been previously abused. RESULTS: Individuals with disabilities comprise 1.4% (n = 199) of all reported cases of abuse (n = 14,004), and the trend of violence against people with disabilities has decreased during the 6-year study period. Of the abused people with disabilities, 72.4% were children, 57.8% were males, 45.2% were previously abused, and 65.3% had complications from the abuse. Caregiver type, perpetrator gender, perpetrator age, and previous abuse status were significant factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the disability prevalence among reported abuse cases and evaluates victim's risk factors in Saudi Arabia, which demonstrates an urgency for targeted intervention and support. People with disabilities constitute a vulnerable demographic who require increased support and resources. Comprehensive data collection can be utilized for effective violence prevention strategies. Further research should explore qualitative methods and survey the rates of abuse among people with disabilities in the community to gain deeper insights.

Improving COVID-19 vaccine uptake: lessons from an academic institution in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Rejection, hesitancy and low uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine are major public health challenges in Saudi Arabia. Aims: To address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and rejection at the King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) using evidence-based strategies. Methods: A questionnaire was administered electronically to participants at KSAU-HS to understand the reasons for vaccine hesitancy or rejection and develop an evidence-informed vaccination plan. Initial results from March 2021 showed that only 60% of respondents had taken at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine dose. Based on the results of the survey, KSAU-HS designed a 6-month vaccination campaign to raise awareness about the vaccine and its importance and increase acceptability rates. Mass media, social media, and direct messaging as reminders were used to address the barriers identified and to help the university community overcome fears and misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccine. Results: The evidence-based interventions helped achieve a significantly high vaccination rate in the university community, with 99.7% of individuals vaccinated by October 2021; one of the highest vaccination rates among public universities in Saudi Arabia. Conclusion: Evidence-based interventions targeted at specific populations can help address prevailing concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine and other similar public health issues.

Motivators and barriers to research participation among medical students in Saudi Arabia.

Little is known about the obstacles medical students face when conducting research in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the proportion of medical students in research has been unknown in our region compared to other regions. We sought to identify the barriers and motivators that influence undergraduate medical students in pursuing research. This was a cross-sectional study design, utilizing an online survey distributed through social media platforms from the 17th of December 2021 to the 8th of April 2022. The survey was distributed to four universities in Saudi Arabia. Participants' characteristics, details regarding involvement in research, and attitude towards research were collected. Frequency measures were used to characterize the demographics and chi-squared tests to determine associations. A total of 435 students were included in the final analysis. The highest proportion of students that responded were second year, followed by first year medical students. Less than half (47.6%) of medical students were involved in research. A significant correlation was revealed between the involvement in research and higher participants' Grade Point Average (GPA). The top three incentives for pursuing undergraduate research were "admission into residency programs" (44.8%), "interest in research" (28.7%), and "financial return" (10.8%). However, the top three limitations were "lack of time" (29.2%), "lack of mentoring" (16.8%), and "lack of interest in research" (14.7%). System-related barriers and motivators were the main reasons behind the involvement of medical students in research. Our study is a call for action to raise awareness among medical students about the importance of research and to provide solutions to overcome these barriers.

Use of Electronic Health Records and Quality of Ambulatory Healthcare.

Background This study aimed to measure the association between electronic health record (EHR) use and quality measures in ambulatory healthcare. Methodology A quantitative, retrospective, cross-sectional design was used by examining secondary data from the 2015-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. The relationship between EHR use and seven quality measures was examined using the Donabedian model as a framework. Quality measures included (a) diabetes measures, (b) obesity measures, (c) blood pressure screening, (d) depression screening, and (e) breast cancer screening. A total of 37,290 office visits were included, representing 817 million national office visits. For each of the quality measures, we determined the (a) associations using unadjusted and adjusted regression models based on subsets of the sample that met the inclusion criteria for quality measures; and (b) the changes in the area under the curve (AUC). Results Approximately 75% of office visits fulfilled all EHR use. Positive associations were found between EHR use and better quality for the following three out of seven measures: higher odds of screening for obesity (odds ratio (OR) = 2.2; p = <0.0001), blood pressure (OR = 2.5; p = <0.0001), and breast cancer (OR = 1.8; p = 0.0166). Receiver operating curve results showed the highest gain in the AUC for process-grouped measures. Hence, it was considered to be a strong predictor for all quality measures. Conclusions Evidence showed improvement in some quality measures (screening for obesity, blood pressure, and breast cancer). Common and standardized health processes were more likely to be completed and recorded than others. Future policies concerning health information technology can shift the focus from improving EHR use to enhancing patient and quality outcomes. Further research is needed to identify circumstances where quality is improved.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle among the Saudi population.

Background: During COVID-19, major change occurred in the governmental regulations to combat the pandemic. Lifestyle factors are changeable habits and routine behaviors with an impact on physical and mental health. With the pandemic, sudden and radical changes occurred in the lifestyle of people worldwide. The main purpose of the study is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle factors including (dietary habits, physical activity, sleeping patterns, smoking, and alcohol use) among the Saudi population. Design and methods: This is a cross-sectional study on a convenient sample of adults residing in Saudi Arabia. An online survey was distributed via social media channels. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the distribution of demographic variables using Chi-square χ2 tests for categorical variables and t-test for continuous variables. Bowker test, and McNemar's Test were performed to evaluate the effects of lockdown on lifestyle factors. Results: A total of 1051 participants were included in the study. There was a slight decrease in the overall diet score during the pandemic (14.98%) compared to before the pandemic (15.05%) (p-value = 0.02), indicating poorer dietary intake during the lockdown. Approximately one-fourth of the participants (26.1%) reported following specific eating habits or a restricted diet during the pandemic (p-value = 0.0001). There was increased consumption of most components of dietary intake categories, during the lockdown. An increase in physical activities for three or more times was reported. A higher proportion of respondents reported sleeping nine or more hours a day during the lockdown (10.8%). Similarly, a higher percentage of individuals reported smoking daily during the lockdown (12.2%). As of overall health status, higher percentage of respondents reported poor health status during lockdown (6.1%). Conclusion: This study revealed major changes in lifestyle factors, negative shifts were revealed in dietary habits and smoking patterns. Positive changes were shown in physical activity, drinking water, and sleeping patterns. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 played a major role in changing lifestyle factors among adults in Saudi Arabia. Healthcare providers and public health officials are encouraged to increase awareness of healthy lifestyle factors that strengthen the immune system to combat COVID-19. The Saudi population needs increased awareness programs about healthy lifestyles to be prepared during pandemics.

Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records and Ambulatory Healthcare Quality Measures.

Introduction Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption rates for office-based physicians doubled between 2008 and 2015, from 42% to 89%, and more than 60% of all office-based physicians achieved meaningful use by 2016. The US government has paid billions of dollars in incentives to promote EHR meaningful use. Nonetheless, evidence linking EHR meaningful use to quality measures improvements is limited. Objective This study aims to examine the relationship between EHR meaningful use and capabilities among four quality measures in an ambulatory healthcare setting. Study design A cross-sectional study design of the 2015-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey dataset. Methods We used adjusted multivariate regression models to examine associations between (a) EHR meaningful use and (b) 10 EHR-computerized capabilities, with four quality measures (blood pressure screening, tobacco use screening, obesity screening, and obesity education). Results We analyzed 30,787 office visits, representing an annual estimate of 680 million national office visits. Results showed that 95% of visits were to offices meeting EHR meaningful use criteria. We found one positive association between EHR meaningful use and obesity screening (OR= 3.5, 95% CI [1.742-6.917]). We also found eight positive associations between EHR capabilities and three quality measures (screening for blood pressure and obesity, and obesity education). These associations included five EHR-computerized capabilities: "record patient problem list", "view lab results", "Reminders for interventions/screening", "Order lab results" and "Recording clinical notes". No EHR capability was associated with screening for tobacco use. Conclusions We looked at a handful of screening-oriented quality measures in ambulatory healthcare and found limited associations with EHR meaningful use but multiple positively significant associations with EHR capabilities. Although EHR meaningful use has become more commonly used, offering substantial administrative efficiency over paper records, current patterns of EHR meaningful use do not always appear to translate into a better quality of care in physician offices. However, quality measures used represent limited procedures for a handful of specific conditions and not the overall healthcare aspect.