Physicians' Awareness of Depression Among Their Patients in Saudi Arabia.

Background Depression is a global public health burden, and although it is multifactorial, its development is highly associated with chronic diseases. Thus, physicians' knowledge and attitude toward depression are vital for the recognition and treatment of depression among patients with chronic illnesses. This study aims to examine physicians' knowledge and attitude toward depression in Saudi Arabia and to determine factors that significantly influence them. Methodology An online survey using a 12-item questionnaire was completed by 50 physicians between January and June 2020. Knowledge (K) and attitude (A) scores were calculated and compared nonparametrically based on scores by gender and years of experience. Results Participants' years of clinical experience was found to significantly influence the participants' K scores, with those with fewer than one year of experience having the highest K scores of all participants (p < 0.05). Years of experience had a similar influence on the A scores. Furthermore, gender was an influencing factor as male participants had higher A scores than female participants. Years of experience and gender influenced the A scores independently. Male physicians more commonly referred patients to a mental health specialist than female physicians, and had significantly higher A scores and more years of experience. There was a direct correlation between the K and A score, indicating that participants' knowledge of depression positively influenced their attitude toward depression. Conclusions In this study, participants' gender and years of experience have been identified to have a significant impact on their knowledge and attitude toward comorbid depression when treating patients with chronic illnesses. This identifies an important gap and offers preliminary insight into the readiness and practice of holistic care for patients, particularly for those treated by physicians of differing gender and experience levels. Findings further demonstrate that it is most beneficial to patients with chronic illnesses that physicians utilize a holistic approach and consider depression when developing their treatment plans. This would involve being able to detect and manage depression among their patients properly, as well as referring patients to mental health specialists when needed. Clinical guidelines should be updated to emphasize the use of depression screening tools for patients with chronic diseases.

Smokeless tobacco use: pattern of use, knowledge and perceptions among rural Bangladeshi adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate the practice and pattern of smokeless tobacco (SLT) use as well as the knowledge and perception about its ill effects among rural Bangladeshi adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among students aged 13-18 years in two rural secondary schools in Bangladesh in August 2015. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire which consists of topics derived from the Social Cognitive Theory and Health Belief Model (personal characteristics, environmental factors, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action). Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 24. A descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the current pattern of SLT use and knowledge about its ill effects. A chi-square test and Fisher exact test were conducted to explore associations between variables. Lastly, a logistic regression model was used to locate the predictors for current SLT use. RESULTS: A total of 790 students participated in the study. Among them, 9.5% (75) had used SLT at least once and 3.7% (29) were current SLT users. Males had a higher incidence of SLT use compared with females. The majority of students (77.3%) initiated SLT use between 10-13 years of age. 'Zarda' was the most common type of SLT used and most of the current users (86%) were able to buy SLT without age restrictions. Most of the current users (90%) wanted to quit SLT immediately; however, professional help was not available in schools. Overall, students had a good knowledge about the harmful effects of SLT with 54.8% (428) of respondents scoring in the good knowledge category. However, the majority of never SLT users (55.4%; 396) had a good knowledge compared to ever SLT users (42.7%; 32). Significant predictors of current SLT use included being a student aged 14 years and above (OR = 6.58, 95% CI [2.23-28.31]) as well as the variables of self-efficacy (OR = 5.78, 95% CI [1.46-19.65]), perceived barriers (OR = 0.30, 95% CI [0.10-0.74]), perceived benefit (OR = 0.21, 95% CI [0.05-1.03]) and perceived severity (OR = 0.36, 95% CI [0.16-0.91]). DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates the need for comprehensive prevention and control programme in rural schools targeting young adolescents. Effective measure should be taken to reshape the attitude of rural adolescents towards self-confidence and competence, as to prevent SLT use.

"To perpetuate blindness!": attitudes of UK patients with inherited retinal disease towards genetic testing.

Availability and accuracy of genetic testing in ophthalmology has increased yet the benefits are unclear especially for those conditions where cure or treatments are limited. To explore attitudes to and patients' understanding of possible advantages and disadvantages of genetic testing for inherited retinal disease, we undertook focus groups in three West Yorkshire towns in the UK. Most of our participants had retinitis pigmentosa and one of the focus groups consisted of participants from (British) Asian ethnic background. Here, we report only those attitudes which were common in all three focus groups. Some of the attitudes have already been reported in the literature. Novel findings include attitudes held towards informed choice and life planning, particularly among more severely affected participants. For example, participants appreciated that genetic testing increases informed choice and enables life planning, but these understandings tended to be in a specific sense: informed choice whether to have children and family planning in order to prevent illness recurrence. We conclude that even though these patients are not a homogeneous group, their attitudes tend to be underpinned by deep anxiety of passing their visual impairment onto their children. In this respect, they differ importantly from a small minority of the deaf who would prefer to have children with hearing loss, and from the more general population who do not believe that blindness is a "severe" enough disability to warrant avoiding having children.