Diagnostic yield of stool culture and probable predictive factors.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Stool analysis is commonly performed to diagnose certain gastrointestinal diseases. The diagnostic yield of stool culture,  a method of stool analysis, is variable worldwide and is unclear in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This study was conducted to determine the diagnostic yield of stool culture from the year 2008 to 2020 and to determine the predictors for a positive stool culture. Furthermore, antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the detected copro-pathogens in the same time period were collected and studied. METHODS: This is a retrospective case-control study in which patients' data was collected from the hospital's electronic health record. The results of all stool analyses performed from 2008 to 2020 and associated patients' characteristics were collected.  Characteristics of cases with a positive stool culture were compared to the characteristics of those without to identify the predictors for positive stool cultures. RESULTS: Copro-pathogens were detected in 89.4% of cultured stool samples. Salmonella spp (1590/1775, 89.6%) was the most common organism followed by Shigella spp. (84/1775, 4.7%) and Campylobacter spp (45/1775, 2.5%). Male sex, the 1-5 age group, positive fecal occult blood test results, and positive stool leukocyte test results were associated with a positive stool culture result. Cultured copro-pathogens were highly sensitive to Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole and Ampicillin. CONCLUSIONS: Stool analysis was found to be a test of high diagnostic yield. However, there is still a need for more studies on this subject with a focus on possible predictive factors for specific organisms.

Female Genital Mutilation in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) or circumcision refers to the unnecessary procedure that damages or removes the external genitalia of females. It is mostly practiced in African countries and some Asian regions, particularly the Middle East, and is performed because of cultural, religious, and social reasons. FGM can negatively affect the lives of women and lead to devastating consequences, ranging from immediate to long-term complications. These complications can be in the physical, psychological, reproductive, or sexual health domains. In this systematic review, we aim to highlight the prevalence and practice of FGM in Saudi Arabia. We conducted a literature search at PubMed to identify studies related to the practice of FGM reported from Saudi Arabia. The results indicate that FGM can still be found in Saudi Arabia both in Saudi women and non-Saudi residents. Most of the non-Saudi women with FGM were Sudanese, Somali, Eritrean, and Egyptian. FGM is prevalent in regions such as Jeddah and Hali, Al Qunfudhah Governorate, Saudi Arabia. FGM is considered illegal in most countries around the world. However, in Saudi Arabia, there is no clear and specific law against the practice of FGM. More research on the practice of FGM in Saudi Arabia needs to be conducted to get a better grasp of the true nature of the problem in the country, which could potentially lead to specific and clear legislation that would prevent the social evil of FGM in Saudi Arabia.

Patient Satisfaction and Their Willingness to Pay for a Pharmacist Counseling Session in Hospital and Community Pharmacies in Saudi Healthcare Settings.

OBJECTIVE: Patient satisfaction is an indicator for quality of healthcare service and is sometimes linked to patients' willingness to pay. Willingness to pay is an economic method for estimating patient's inclination for a service in monetary terms. This study assessed satisfaction of patients from pharmacist counseling service and estimated their willing to pay for the same. METHODS: A month-long survey was conducted in community and hospital pharmacies located in Khobar, Dammam, and Qatif cities of Saudi Arabia, using Arabic version of Patient Satisfaction Feedback (PSF) questionnaire that measured satisfaction with counseling as well as willingness-to-pay. Convenient sampling method was used, and sample size was calculated based on power analysis. Data was analyzed through SPSS version 23. Chi-square (χ2) test and logistic regression analyses were conducted to report associations between variables and, determinants of satisfaction as well as willingness to pay respectively. The study was approved by concerned ethical committee (IRB-2019-05-020). RESULTS: Patients (n = 531) with previous counseling experience were more likely to be satisfied [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 5.2, p < 0.05]. Patients were more willing to pay if, they had an income above SAR 10,000 i.e., USD 2666.5 (AOR 1.78, p < 0.05), were satisfied with counseling time duration (AOR 4.5) and, were able to get counseling without difficulty (AOR 2.1, p < 0.05). Patients were more likely to be satisfied and were willing to pay if, they received required knowledge/information completely (AOR 2.5, 3.7, and p < 0.05) and found pharmacist helpful (AOR 1, 4.5, and p < 0.05). Most patients (43.9%) were satisfied with pharmacist counseling and average satisfaction rating was 7.87 ± 1.99/10. CONCLUSION: Patients considered counseling as an important service and were satisfied from it. Less than a third of patients were willing to pay for the service. Knowledge and helpfulness of pharmacist were identified as two major determinants that could not only satisfy and but also promote willingness to pay for the service. A pharmacist with skills in pharmaceutical care and counseling could be useful in promoting the service and making it profitable for pharmacy business.