RESUMO
Background: Lower back pain (LBP) is the most common form of musculoskeletal disorder and a crucial occupational issue among healthcare professionals that peaks among surgeons. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence and the characteristics and identify associated risk factors among surgeons in the Makkah region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional method among surgeons in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia. Data were randomly collected using a self-administered questionnaire divided into demographic, individual, and occupational characteristics and prevalence data from different hospitals and cities. The subjects of the study were 208 surgeons working in different specialties. Results: Thirty-eight percent of surgeons were found to have back pain. The highest prevalence was found among general surgeons, followed by gynecologists. Surgeons with a longer mean duration of work experience had a significantly higher percentage of back pain sufferers. The presence of back pain, on the other hand, did not appear to be related to the surgeon's gender, dominant hand, specialty, or other work conditions. LBP was widespread in surgeons with higher work experience, a stable job position, older age, a higher body mass index (BMI), chronic conditions, who did not exercise, and who were not athletes. Conclusions: General surgeons have the highest prevalence, according to the results of this study. Appropriate measures should be adopted to avoid this occupational health issue. We emphasize the importance of performing a periodic examination and follow-up on the health status of surgeons' spines and providing educational information about LBP and the best ways to avoid it. We advocate an ergonomic examination of workplace conditions and regular counseling sessions to encourage people to use their backs more properly with correct posture.
RESUMO
Background Epilepsy puts an enormous burden on the physical and mental health of patients and can negatively impact their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Previous studies have identified multiple factors impacting patients' HRQoL; however, a consensus has not been reached, as these factors vary among different populations. This has not been sufficiently investigated in Saudi Arabia. Thus, this study aims to assess the HRQoL of epilepsy patients, as measured by the Quality Of Life In Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31) questionnaire, to determine the effects of demographics, disease characteristics, and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study of adult epilepsy patients receiving AEDs who followed up at the epilepsy clinic at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between April 2018 and June 2018. Recruited individuals participated by phone interview. Results A total of 200 participants fulfilled our inclusion criteria and consented to participate; 57.4% were males. The average age was 32.8 years. The total average score on the QOLIE-31 was 61.56 (±17.52). QOLIE-31 scores correlated inversely with seizure frequency (p<.000) while the class of medication used, and the number of drugs administered did not correlate with HRQoL. Conclusion Whereas previous work has suggested a better quality of life when using newer generation AEDs, our study found no significant difference between the class of medication and whether monotherapy or polytherapy is used. Our findings suggest that efforts to improve HRQoL should be directed toward proper control of seizures regardless of medication class, as the frequency of attacks has the most detrimental effect on patients' quality of life.
