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BACKGROUND: Ophthalmology is essential for primary and specialty care physicians, as eye complaints are common, accounting for a sizable proportion of general practice consultations and emergency department visits. Fundamental ophthalmology knowledge is also relevant to other specialty fields. Thus, medical schools must provide effective undergraduate curricula to teach students about salient points, visual examination skills, emergency recognition, and referral indications. The International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) has set guidelines that medical students should imbibe to become proficient in ophthalmology. However, there have been no recent investigations evaluating undergraduate ophthalmology education at Jazan University's Faculty of Medicine. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the curriculum at Jazan University to the ICO's requirements for undergraduate medical education. METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted with both male and female student participants enrolled in an ophthalmology course at Jazan University's Faculty of Medicine. Following IRB approval, the questionnaire was distributed on social media to assess if Jazan University's undergraduate ophthalmology curriculum complies with ICO standards. RESULTS: The study included a diverse sample of 322 participants, predominantly consisting of female students (n=178, 55.3%). The participants' ages ranged from 22 to 36 years, with the majority falling within the 24-25 year age range (n=173, 53.7%). Regarding academic performance, (n=117, 36.3%) of participants had a GPA of less than 4, while 66 (20.5%) had a GPA between 4.76 and 5.00. Among the respondents, 31 (9.6%) indicated having no exposure to ophthalmology, while 117 (36.3%) felt they had insufficient exposure. A considerable percentage of participants expressed competence in various areas, such as obtaining ocular history (n=113, 35.1%), testing visual acuity (n=201, 62.4%), and examining extraocular motility (n=201, 62.4%). In total, 98 participants (30.4%) expressed an interest in ophthalmology, while the majority (n=224, 69.6%) were not interested. CONCLUSION: Essential improvements include increasing hands-on clinical experience, small-group learning, exposure across academic years, and early mentorship. Developing competency-based curricula aligned with ICO guidelines could significantly strengthen education. Better training quality and exposure will equip students with the necessary skills, boost confidence, and potentially expand the ophthalmology workforce.
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Objectives The most frequent otolaryngological complaint is nasal obstruction. We aimed to determine if there is a relationship between nasal blockage and academic performance among medical college students in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional survey carried out from August to December 2022, included 860 medical students determining the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the participants using the Berlin Sleep Questionnaire Risk Probability, then comparing it to their socio-demographic characteristics, while the Chi-square test was used for the comparison of categorical variables. Result The average age of the participants in our study was 21.52 years; 60% were females and 40% were males. The risk of obstructive sleep apnea was found to be two times higher in females than in males (95% CI: 1.195- 3.345; p-value 0.008). The hypertensive participants had a 27-fold increased risk of OSA compared to non-hypertensives. Grade Point Average (GPA) and snoring had a statistically significant relationship, however, a fifth of the participants reported snoring (79.8% reported not snoring). We also found that 14.8% of the participants with snoring had a GPA between 2-4.49 compared to 44.6% of participants without snoring. Conclusion Female students had a two-fold higher chance of developing OSA than males. While a GPA of 4.5 and above was more often associated with participants without snoring, the number of individuals with a GPA of 2-4.49 was greater among participants with snoring. To aid in the prevention of illness complications and the management of risk factors, additional efforts should be made to increase disease knowledge among students, primary healthcare practitioners, and specialty doctors.
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PURPOSE: Health applications are employed to aid patients with chronic diseases in effective long-term disease management. This investigation aims to measure the utilization of health applications among patients diagnosed with chronic conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional investigation was conducted in the Jazan region in Saudi Arabia between October 2020 and March 2021. Data were collected during interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire collected items about the patients' demographics, morbidity, and use of electronic devices and health applications developed by the Saudi MoH. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with odds of reporting use of applications. RESULTS: A total of 658 patients were recruited. The mean age of the patients was 51 years, and 59% of them were females. The most frequently reported diagnosed condition was diabetes (53.5%), followed by hypertension (42.7%). Majority of the patients reported not using any health applications developed by the Saudi MoH (68.2%). Patients with higher educational levels and younger patients were more likely to report use of the applications (ORs: 4.2, 2.6 respectively). Comorbidity history and disease duration did not seem to influence the probability of reporting use of health applications (P-values >0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients diagnosed with chronic diseases in Jazan had low utilization of health applications developed by the Saudi MoH. This indicates a need to encourage the use of these health applications, particularly among patients with chronic diseases and to consider use restriction among older patients with lower educational levels.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Antibiotics (Abs) are a class of medication generally prescribed for bacterial infections. Abs misuse, caused by either medication non-compliance or self-medication, may lead to Abs resistance, a problem that is trending around the globe. In 2018, dispensing Abs without a prescription became prohibited in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge and attitude toward Abs use and resistance in Jazan Province. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the population of Jazan, using a self-administered electronic questionnaire to assess the knowledge and attitude toward Abs use and resistance and its related factors. RESULTS: According to our findings, 543 participants responded and most of the participants use Abs with a prescription (n = 280; 75%). About 40% identified correctly that Abs can treat only bacteria, not viruses, and 44% denied that Abs can treat all coughs and common cases. Then, regarding the knowledge about resistance, we found that those who had heard about Abs resistance represented more than half of the participants (56%), and had better knowledge about Abs use. Further, more than half of those who have heard about Abs resistance correctly defined the antibiotic susceptibility test, and about two-thirds were able to answer the related questions about Abs resistance. CONCLUSION: To conclude, a positive correlation was found between knowledge about Abs resistance and Abs use. Thus, national Abs regulations and policies with continuous education and awareness must be continued to ensure a better understanding of Abs use.
