Impact of Family History of Diabetes on Diabetes Control and Complications.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to assess the impact of parental and sibling history of type 2 diabetes (T2D) on patient characteristics, glycemic control, and T2D complications. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included adults with T2D. Type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes patients were excluded. The laboratory data were retrieved from the patients' electronic files, and baseline measurements were obtained by the researchers. RESULTS: The study included a total of 511 T2D patients, with a mean age of 60.1 ± 10.9 years and mean hemoglobin A1c of 8.94 ± 2.1% (74.2 ± 22.9 mmol/mol). Of these patients, 54% were male and 49.7% had a parental history of T2D. The patients with parental history of T2D were diagnosed at a younger age and had a higher body mass index (BMI) ( P = .035) and higher waist circumference (WC) ( P = .013) than those T2D patients with no parental history. Approximately 60% of the participants had siblings with a history of T2D, and in comparison with those with no sibling history, they had higher prevalence of cerebrovascular accidents ( P = .02). CONCLUSION: Having a parental history of T2D is significantly associated with diagnosis at a younger age and a higher BMI and WC. Having a sibling history of T2D is significantly associated with worse cerebrovascular outcome. ABBREVIATIONS: ACR = albumin to creatinine ratio; BMI = body mass index; DBP = diastolic blood pressure; DM = diabetes mellitus; FBG = fasting blood glucose; GFR = glomerular filtration rate; HbA1c = hemoglobin A1c; LDL = low-density lipoprotein; SBP = systolic blood pressure; T2D = type 2 diabetes; TG = triglyceride; WC = waist circumference.

Faculty Members' Perspective on Virtual Interviews for Medical Residency Matching during the COVID-19 Crisis: A National Survey.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, conducting face-to-face medical residency interviews was challenging due to infection prevention precautions, social distancing, and travel restrictions. Virtual interviews were implemented by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) as an alternative process for residency matching while striving to maintain the same quality standards. This national survey was conducted to assess the satisfaction and perceptions of faculty members' virtual interview performance in the assessment for the medical training residency programs. Among the participating 173 faculty members, 34.1% did not have previous experience with video-conferencing. The Zoom application was the most commonly used platform (65.9%). Most (89.6%) of the faculty perceived virtual interviews as "adequate" platforms on which the candidates could express themselves, while almost half of the faculty (53.8%) agreed that virtual interviews allowed them to accurately reach an impression about the candidates. Overall, 73.4% of faculty felt comfortable ranking the virtually interviewed candidates. We conclude that the acceptance of participating faculty members in the first Saudi medical residency training matching cycle virtual interviewing event was well-perceived. This study provides evidence for future application and research of virtual interviews in residency candidates' assessment, especially after the pandemic crisis resolves.

Diabetes Knowledge Assessment among Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Objective: Diabetes mellitus [DM] is one of the major health problems worldwide. Health knowledge is a main factor in enhancing general health. The primary goal of this study was to assess the level of DM knowledge among a random sample of type 2 diabetic [T2D] patients and these patients' knowledge level in relation to glycemic control and complications

Design: Cross sectional study

Setting: Diabetes outpatient clinic, Prince Mansour MilitaryHospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia

Subjects: We interviewed adult T2D patients who had routine follow-up visits between September 2015 and July 2016. Patients with type 1 or gestational DM were excluded. Intervention: We used the revised Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Scale to assess the patients' diabetes knowledge

Main outcome measures: Diabetes knowledge

Results: A total of 191 patients with T2D with a mean age of 57.2 +/- 12.9 years were enrolled in the study; 54.5% were male, with a mean duration of diabetes for 12.8 +/- 8.7 years. The mean diabetes knowledge score was 12.3 +/- 3.3. Compared to those who are considered to have poor knowledge, those with good knowledge tend to be younger [p < 0.031], are less likely to have microvascular complications [p < 0.04], and more likely to have a bachelor's degree [p < 0.018]. The mean DM duration, body mass index, glycosylated hemoglobin, smoking, and physical inactivity appeared to be insignificant between different groups

Conclusion: This study shows a high prevalence of poor DM knowledge which was positively associated with microvascular complications; however, glycemic control, weight, and/or lifestyle habits were not statistically different between groups