Knowledge and attitude toward eye disorders in children among pediatricians and family physicians: a survey study.

BACKGROUND: Vision-related disorders are common in children. Therefore, eye examination and thorough visual assessment by first-contact physicians are crucial in children. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of and attitude toward children's eye disorders among pediatricians and family physicians in the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs-Western Region (MNGHA-WR) of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: In this observational, cross-sectional study, we used a self-administered, web-based questionnaire. The sample size was calculated to be 148 pediatricians and family physicians (of 240 in total) currently working at MNGHA-WR. The first section of the questionnaire dwelled on demographics, while the second section addressed the physician's knowledge of and attitude toward commonly encountered ophthalmological pathologies in children. Data collected were entered into Microsoft Excel and then transferred to IBM SPSS version 22 for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 148 responses (92 family physicians and 56 pediatricians) were received. Most of the participants were residents or staff physicians (n = 105, 70.9%). The mean knowledge score of the respondents was 54.67% ± 14.5%. Participants' knowledge was further subclassified using Bloom's original cutoff points into high (n = 4, 2.7%), moderate (n = 53, 35.8%), and low (n = 91, 61.5%) levels of knowledge. Regarding practices, 120 (81%) participants performed ophthalmic examinations; however, only 39 (26.4%) conducted routine examinations as part of every child's visit. Fundus examinations were performed by 25 (16.9%) physicians. A significant deficiency in knowledge was noted in those with < 1 year of work experience (P = 0.014). Although statistically not significant (P = 0.052), family physicians possessed better knowledge than pediatricians regarding children's eye disorders. On the contrary, more pediatricians performed eye examinations than family physicians (P = 0.015). The male sex was also associated with higher rates of eye examination (P = 0.033). CONCLUSION: An unsatisfactory level of knowledge of eye disease among participating doctors was reported. The proportion was significantly higher among residents and staff physicians. Therefore, awareness efforts should be incorporated in both family medicine and pediatrics residency programs to limit the number of cases of ocular disorders going undiagnosed in children.

The lasting impact of COVID-19 on surgical training from the perspective of surgical residents and consultants in Saudi Arabia: a nationwide cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many precautionary measures have been set to curb the transmission of the virus. That has led to changes, most notably in surgical education, like lack of surgical exposure and clinical activities. However, the question aiming at the impact of changes made by the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical education and its extent remains unanswered. MATERIALS & METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed among surgical residents and consultants from all over Saudi Arabia, starting from the 6th till the 21st of July, 2021. Descriptive statistics were presented using counts and proportions (%). Study subjects were compared with the different perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic by using Chi-square test. A p-value cut-off point of 0.05 at 95% CI was used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: A total of 243 out of 500 surgical residents and consultants responded to the survey, giving a response rate of 48.6%. The majority were general surgeons (50.5%) and cardiothoracic surgeons (21.8%). Nearly 66% of surgeons, both residents and consultants, strongly agreed on the importance of training for infectious disease outbreaks. 44.7% of the consultants and 48% of the residents showed their willingness to respond to the pandemic regardless of its severity. Over 70% of surgeons agreed that developing clinical skills was compromised by the COVID-19 pandemic, and 40% expected a negative impact of the COVID-19 on their operative skills. Simulation was ranked best for disaster medicine training by over 77% of the respondents. The most common concern among surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic was their family's health and safety. Regarding virtual curriculum components, online practice questions and surgical videos were preferred by the surgical consultant and resident, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted surgical education, it has highlighted the alarming need for adopting new components. For surgical training programs, we recommend improving the virtual curriculum, incorporating disaster medicine training, providing psychological services, and prioritizing immunization and treatment access for surgeons' families.

Public awareness about glaucoma, cataract, and diabetic retinopathy in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To identify the public level of knowledge about the common ophthalmological conditions in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase, and CENTRAL for relevant literature. We included questionnaire-based cross-sectional studies performed in Saudi Arabia assessing the public awareness and attitude about general knowledge, causes/risk factors, signs/symptoms, disabilities/consequences, and relieving/management measures of the common ophthalmological conditions including glaucoma, cataract, and diabetic retinopathy (DR). The meta-analysis was performed on outcomes reported in ≥ 2 studies utilizing the random-effects model. Quality assessment was done using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) tool. RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies were deemed eligible for inclusion in this review. A total of 72 questions were reported in ≥ 2 studies and were included in the meta-analysis. The total number of participants was 14,408. The meta-analysis estimated that 57.63% (95% confidence interval (CI) 56.87-60.07%), 69.90% (95% CI 67.02-76.07%), and 68.65% (95% CI 65.94-71.23%) of the Saudi public have you ever heard or read about glaucoma, cataract, and DR, respectively. Of the public surveyed in the included studies, 43.68% (95% CI 41.54-45.85%), 55.43% (95% CI 54.03-56.82%), and 63% (95% CI 60.8-65.1%) believed that glaucoma, cataract, and DR could be treated. CONCLUSION: This systematic review showed that the level of knowledge among the Saudi population about the common ophthalmological conditions was the highest with respect to cataract, followed by DR and glaucoma. The areas of unsatisfactory level of awareness about the common ophthalmological conditions included risk factors, signs/symptoms, complications, and management options. These areas need to be addressed appropriately by future educational interventions.

Monophasic versus biphasic hyaluronic acid filler for correcting nasolabial folds: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers are the most popular dermal fillers for wrinkle correction and facial rejuvenation. Recently, there has been an interest toward classifying HA fillers based on the cross-linking properties into monophasic (MHA) and biphasic (BHA) fillers. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety outcomes between MHA and BHA fillers for the correction of nasolabial folds (NLFs). METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase, and CENTRAL for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared MHA filler to BHA filler for individuals with moderate-to-severe bilateral NLFs. We sought to evaluate the following outcomes: Wrinkle severity rating scale (WSRS), pain on visual analog scale (VAS), global aesthetic improvement scale (GAIS), and adverse events. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to represent continuous outcomes while risk ratio (RR) was used to represent dichotomous outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 11 RCTs that enrolled 935 participants deemed eligible. MHA filler revealed a significant improvement in the overall WSRS score and GAIS score compared to BHA filler (SMD = -0.38, 95% CI -0.49 to -0.27 and SMD = 0.34, 95% CI 0.24-0.45, respectively). No significant difference was noted between MHA and BHA fillers in terms of pain score or adverse events (SMD = -0.39, 95% CI -0.81-0.03 and RR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.89-1.12, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: MHA filler showed discernable cosmetic results and comparable effective and tolerability to BHA filler.