The Effect of Video-Assisted Education Prior Intrathecal Chemotherapy on Anxiety and Knowledge Enhancement.

Intrathecal chemotherapy procedures are stressful to patients and caregivers, especially the first time. Providing the patient and caregiver with sufficient information to address their concerns before the scheduled procedure is necessary. This study aims to determine whether the use of video instructions could enhance learning outcomes and decrease anxiety levels in patients' caregivers. A prospective trial was conducted in pediatric hematology for 1 year. Thirty-seven respondents were randomly assigned to two groups wherein one group was given conventional educational leaflets and verbal instructions, while the other group received the same information through an educational video presentation before the intrathecal chemotherapy procedure. Knowledge enhancement in the two groups was evaluated using the summative assessment method and measured by a 10-point Likert scale. The validated Arabic version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scale was used to assess anxiety levels. The anxiety level (12.31 ± 8.84) in the video presentation group was significantly higher than that in the conventional group (6.16 ± 5.91). Similarly, the overall Beck scale score revealed that palpitation, frightening, lightheadedness, and hot/cold sweat levels were decreased in the video presentation group. Additionally, a significant difference in knowledge enhancement was noted between the two groups, as knowledge enhancement in the video presentation group (7.61 ± 1.88) was better than that in the conventional group (6.00 ± 1.00). This produced a domino effect on the anxiety level scores of both groups. An educational video presentation before the intrathecal chemotherapy procedure is effective since both visual and auditory senses are involved. This could be considered a good source of an interventional approach before a therapeutic procedure.

Healthcare Professionals' Culture Toward Reporting Errors in the Oncology Setting.

INTRODUCTION:  Reporting an error during a hospital journey is crucial to reduce such errors' recurrence and to learn from events. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate oncology staff's attitudes, perceived barriers, and strategy towards reporting incidents and errors. METHODS:  A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among health professionals providing care to cancer patients in a tertiary healthcare hospital in Saudi Arabia in 2019. Data were collected using an online self-administered questionnaire distributed to the targeted population. RESULTS:  A total of 211 participated in this study. Sixty-five percent of responders reported that they felt a need to reveal errors. The leading perceived barrier to reporting the events was that the staff wanted to avoid getting into trouble (60%), followed by worries about legal action (59.2%). The top-ranking strategy to improve reporting by nurses was to have clear guidelines to report errors, education and feedback by doctors, and further education and training by allied healthcare. CONCLUSION:  The study revealed that healthcare professionals do possess a favorable attitude toward reporting errors. However, a major gap is still a barrier between attitude and practice, and this need creating a safe atmosphere where every healthcare professional feels safe and comfortable with reporting incidents is required to build a non-punitive environment to enhance the safety culture. On the other hand, the respondents listed different strategies to enhance reporting events and errors.

Impact of inpatient rehabilitation services on the functional levels of cancer patients at King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the impact of inpatient rehabilitation services on the functional levels of cancer patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study of data from the Rehabilitation Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2012 to 2018. The functional independence measure (FIM) tool was used to assess functional changes from admission to discharge to determine the impact of inpatient rehabilitation. Results: A total of 81 eligible records were reviewed. The median hospital length of stay (LOS) was 50 days, mean±SD of the FIM gain was 25 (15.3), and 91.4% were discharged home, while only 4.9% were readmitted. Although statistically significant gains were observed in both motor and cognitive scores, motor scores improved more than the cognitive. The LOS was less (30 days) in patients requiring minimal assistance, at the time of admission, compared to the LOS in patients with moderate and low levels of independence. The level of significance was set at p≤0.05. CONCLUSIONS: In patient cancer rehabilitation service demonstrated statistically significant functional gains during rehabilitation at King Fahad Medical City. This study may help the policymakers to provide similar rehabilitation services to all cancer patients as well as in other health care hospitals to improve the functional status of cancer survivors.

Religious Belief and Social Support Among Cancer Patients in Saudi Arabia.

Background People with cancer usually experience some degree of depression, anxiety, and fear, as if embracing the fact that cancer has become part of their lives. Additionally, religious beliefs can influence a patient's support system, as well as the patient's own emotional response, behavior, and decision-making, which can create a conflict with medical treatment. The objective of this study was to assess cancer patients' religious beliefs and social support. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 294 adult patients at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patients were interviewed using the System of Belief Inventory (SBI-15R) questionnaire, and responses were noted in the survey form. Results The majority (82.3%) of patients were newly diagnosed with cancer and in the treatment phase, whereas 9.9% were in the metastatic phase. The total mean score of the SBI-15R scale was 27.9. The mean score of the social support subscale was 13.1 ± 1.68, whereas the mean score for the beliefs and practice subscale was 29.7 ± 0.81. For the social support subscale, a statistically significant difference was found in age (P < 0.001), gender (P < 0.001), and occupation (P = 0.009). However, for the beliefs and practice subscale, a statistically significant difference was found only with gender (P = 0.001).  Conclusions This study concluded that social support is important for the study participants, and they were attached to their beliefs and cultural practices, as indicated by the high total mean score on the SBI-15R. Understanding this topic is important in order for healthcare organizations to provide holistic patient care.

Burnout Among Healthcare Providers in a Comprehensive Cancer Center in Saudi Arabia.

Background Overwork has grave consequences for staff health, either physically or psychologically. Burnout has an impact on health care turnover, patient safety, patient satisfaction, and patient perception towards health professionals. This study aims to assess the prevalence of burnout, psychosocial distress, occupational predictors, perceived causes, and suggested strategies for preventing or reducing its impact of burnout on oncology healthcare workers. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among various oncology healthcare professionals using the Maslach Burnout and Kessler-10 Inventory tools to derive the data. Results A total of 157 participants represented with an overall response rate of 62.8%. Among all the respondents, it showed that 28.7% of them reported moderate to severe burnout. Moreover, 32.9% of the participants with patient contact had experienced moderate to severe burnout, and the same burnout level was reported by 55% of the respondents with no patient contact. Physicians (35.1%) were recorded to have the highest rate of burnout, followed by nurses (29%) and allied healthcare professionals (27%). Also, exhaustion and emotional exhaustion subscales were higher to those samples without patient contact (33.3%) compared to samples with patient contact (25.5%). On the other hand, 28.7% of those samples with patient contact exhibited a high level of depersonalization, while 42.9% of non-patient contact samples recorded a high level of cynicism. Both sub-samples scored more than half in personal accomplishment (73.4%) and the related professional efficacy (57%), merging the average and high-level scores. The proportion of non-patient contact respondents who had experienced psychiatric symptoms was 10%. Conclusions There was a significant number of King Fahad Medical City Comprehensive Cancer Center healthcare professionals who experienced a substantial level of burnout. On the other hand, the respondents listed different strategies to reduce the level of burnout. These strategies are self-defined, such as improved access to leave, attention to staff psychosocial and training needs, and emphasizing the importance of regular communication skills training. The management needs to take action for the area of improvement based on the results.

The Effect of Satellite Laboratory Installation on Chemotherapy Waiting Time in an Oncology Treatment Unit.

Background Timely treatment is a patient's right. Increasing the efficiency of laboratory testing could potentially improve hospital operations, provide quicker access to health services, and have a positive impact on patient experience. Installation of a satellite laboratory may shorten laboratory turnaround time (TAT) and chemotherapy waiting time. Method The laboratory TAT and chemotherapy waiting time were analyzed and compared before and three years after the establishment of the satellite laboratory. Result The mean laboratory TAT decreased from one hour and 30 minutes at baseline in 2012 to 43, 43, and 37 minutes in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively; a reduction rate of 59%. Mean chemotherapy waiting time also reduced, from a 2012 baseline of 252 minutes to 170, 157, and 146 minutes in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively; a reduction rate of 42%. Conclusion The reduced chemotherapy waiting time after the installation of a satellite laboratory had a positive impact on patient care. It also reduced employee workload and maximized the utilization of hospital resources.