Medical students' perceptions of their educational environment in an integrated curriculum in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To measure medical students' perceptions of their educational environment and to determine the potential differences in those perceptions with regard to gender and the year of study. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, Dar Al Uloom University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2018-19, and comprised medical students enrolled at the college. Data was collected using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure scale. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: Of the 262 students approached, 191(73%) responded. The total mean score was 122.49±21.50. Perception of educational environment was higher for male students and advanced-level students (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings illustrated a healthy educational environment.

The relationship of perceived severity of tinnitus with depression, anxiety, hearing status, age and gender in individuals with tinnitus.

INTRODUCTION: The present study investigated the relationship between the perceived tinnitus severity, depressive and anxiety symptoms in individuals with tinnitus. An attempt was also made to see if any relationship exists between the perceived tinnitus severity and the age, gender or hearing status of the sufferer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty individuals (31 males, 19 females) with tinnitus (age range 19 to 60 years) were enrolled in the study. After the routine pure tone audiometry, each participant completed the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report-30. RESULTS: A significant correlation (r = 0.585, p pp < 0.01 respectively). Furthermore, age, gender and hearing status did not significantly influence the perceived severity of tinnitus. CONCLUSION: The results support the view that there is a strong relation between tinnitus and anxiety-depressive symptoms. Further, perceived severity of tinnitus is not influenced by age, gender and hearing status of the individual.

Brief tele-mindfulness-based intervention: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has proven to be detrimental to the psychological well-being of healthcare providers (HCP). This study was a psychological intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic to check extent to which brief mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) affect psychological well-being, resilience, and anxiety of HCPs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized trial study conducted from July to August 2020. One hundred and forty-seven COVID-19 frontline HCPs were randomized to a 2-week virtual intervention with a brief MBI or a PMR. Pre- and postintervention assessments were done using the State-Trait Anxiety-20-Item Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10, and WHO-5 Well-Being Index. RESULTS: The final sample included 125 HCPs (64 in BMI group and 61 in PMR group) who completed pre- and post-intervention assessment. The results showed a significant improvement in the psychological well-being and reduction of the state anxiety of the two groups, but not in the trait anxiety or resiliency. Improvement was more in the group's brief MBI (81.3%) than in the group's PMR (51.8%) (P = 0.0001), concerning psychological well-being. CONCLUSION: Both the brief MBI and PMR improved the psychological well-being and reduced the anxiety of frontline healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic with a slightly better improvement in the brief MBI.

How does context influence arm use after stroke? A qualitative content analysis among rural community-dwelling stroke survivors.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the personal and environmental contextual factors that influence use of affected arm for function among stroke survivors. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative phenomenological study using an interpretivist paradigm among 23 stroke survivors in their late sub-acute and chronic stages and their relatives living in the rural regions of India using maximum variation sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify personal and environmental contextual factors relevant to arm use. Their current level of arm use, motor and functional ability were evaluated using Motor Activity Log, AbilHand and Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scales and the scores were categorized in order to describe and compare the participant's characteristics before analyzing each interview. Differences among the contextual factors of participants with high and low levels of functional arm use and exercise using paretic limb were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Study participants followed active exercises or passive interventions to improve their arm. Their immediate social environment influenced these decisions. Lack of awareness on how to self-engage or scale down their physical environment to match their abilities demoted active functional task performance. Ability to perceive small gains in arm function helped them sustain their efforts. CONCLUSION: Context influences arm use. Addressing contextual determinants influencing arm use such as facilitating understanding about the need for active functional task engagement; identifying and addressing factors moderating motivation to sustain functional task practice and enriching objects to match their movement abilities can increase arm use and promote upper limb recovery.

Development and validation of a Smartphone Impact Scale among healthcare professionals.

OBJECTIVES: Smartphone overuse is prevalent among healthcare professionals. There is no standard scale that can measure the impact of smartphone usage on healthcare professionals. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool, the Smartphone Impact Scale (SIS), that can effectively measure the use of smartphone among healthcare professionals. METHODS: We developed a generic instrument to study the impact of smartphone usage among healthcare professionals. A total of 1436 healthcare professionals from various regions of KSA participated in this study through an online questionnaire-based survey. The psychometric properties of the SIS were developed using content validity index (CVI), factor analysis, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability analysis. RESULTS: A 23-item scale was selected for reliability and validity analysis. The average CVI was found to be 0.824. The internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha value was 0.91, and test-retest reliability was 0.85. The Cronbach's alpha values for Factors 1 and 2 were 0.875 and 0.803, respectively. The confirmatory factor analysis indices were as follows: root mean square of approximation = 0.0710, comparative fit index = 0.861, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.845, and the coefficient of determination = 0.969. The correlation between two factors was 0.66. After factor analysis, we developed a final questionnaire with 23 items. CONCLUSIONS: Our SIS showed a three-factor structure and appropriate psychometric characteristics. Due to its adequate reliability and validity, SIS can be conveniently used to evaluate the impact of smartphone usage on healthcare professionals.

Prevalence of stress and stress tolerance levels among adolescent boys - a district level cross sectional study in South India.

BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a tumultuous period of hormonal and psychological transitions ranging from 10 to 19 years (WHO). This growth phase is usually accompanied by stressors. Very few studies have reported the prevalence of stress levels among adolescent boys. Our aim was to assess the prevalence and determinants of stress and its tolerance levels among high school boys. METHODS: A cross sectional study design was selected for this purpose. A standardized self reported questionnaire was administered to 1153 high school boys. A score of 130 and more was used to classify the participants as stressed. RESULTS: The prevalence of stress and its tolerance levels was found to be 55% and 33.7%, respectively. Also correlations suggest that parental education and occupational status play a significant role in adolescent stress. Together, these findings suggest necessitating an intervention to counter the same. CONCLUSION: The proportion of stressed adolescent boys (55.5%) reported to have poor stress tolerance (41%). Studies addressing stress among high school adolescents remain unexplored. The basic determinants of stress are not researched upon these age groups. Our study reports the prevalence of stress to be 55% among high school boys. This could be the fundamental basis of designing suitable stress management programs for adolescents that could reduce their stress levels.