Extracurricular research activities among senior medical students in Kuwait: experiences, attitudes, and barriers

Becher Al-Halabi,1 Yousef Marwan,2 Mohammad Hasan,3 Sulaiman Alkhadhari41Department of Surgery, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kuwait; 2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Al-Razi Hospital, Al-Sabah Medical Area, Ministry of Health, Kuwait; 3Department of Radiation Oncology, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Al-Sabah Medical Area, Ministry of Health, Kuwait; 4Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Center, Kuwait University, KuwaitBackground: Research is the foundation of scientific advancement and improvement in quality of health care, which ensures the good health of the community. The aim of this study is to explore experiences, attitudes, and barriers of medical students in Kuwait University (KU) in regards to extracurricular research.Methods: A questionnaire about extracurricular research activities (ie, any research activity that is not part of the required undergraduate curriculum, such as publishing a paper, research elective, etc) was distributed to 175 senior medical students (years 6 and 7). Descriptive and chi-square analyses were used to analyze the responses, considering a P-value of <0.05 as the cut-off level for significance. The main outcome was defined as taking part in any of the extracurricular research activities.Results: Of the 150 participants (response rate = 85.7%), 26 (17.3%), 68 (45.3%), 52 (34.7%), and 17 (11.3%) had published their required medical school research, presented abstracts in conferences, conducted extracurricular research, and completed a research elective/course, respectively; 99 (66.0%) took part in any of these activities. Participants who read medical journals regularly (81; 54%) reported higher participation in extracurricular research activities than those who did not read journals (P=0.003). Improving the availability of mentors for students' extracurricular research was ranked by the participants as the most important factor to improve their participation in extracurricular research (4.05/5.00).Conclusion: Despite the lack of adequate support, extracurricular research activities among medical students of KU were comparable to students from other countries. Barriers for these activities should be addressed by KU medical educators in order to enhance research activities among the students.Keywords: research, publication, undergraduate, medical education, medical student

Use of second-generation antipsychotics in the acute inpatient management of schizophrenia in the Middle East

Sulaiman Alkhadhari,1 Nasser Al Zain,2 Tarek Darwish,3 Suhail Khan,4 Tarek Okasha,5 Hisham Ramy,5 Talaat Matar Tadros6 1Kuwait Center for Mental Health, Safat, Kuwait; 2Al Amal Complex for Mental Health Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 3Behavioural Science Pavilion, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 4Jeddah Psychiatric Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 5Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 6Ibrahim Bin Hamad Obaidallah and Seif Bin Ghubash Hospitals, Ras Alkhaimah, United Arab Emirates Background: Management of acute psychotic episodes in schizophrenic patients remains a significant challenge for clinicians. Despite treatment guidelines recommending that second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) should be used as monotherapy, first-generation antipsychotics, polypharmacy, and lower than recommended doses are frequently administered in clinical practice. Minimal data exist regarding the use of SGAs in the Middle East. The objective of this study was to examine the discrepancies between current clinical practice and guideline recommendations in the region. Methods: RECONNECT-S Beta was a multicenter, noninterventional study conducted in Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to observe the management of schizophrenic patients who were hospitalized due to an acute psychotic episode. Patients underwent one visit on the day of discharge. Demographic and medical history, together with data on antipsychotic treatment and concomitant medication during the hospitalization period and medication recommendations at discharge were recorded. Results: Of the 1,057 patients, 180 (17.0%) and 692 (65.5%) received SGAs as monotherapy and in combination therapy, respectively. Overall, the most frequently administered medications were given orally, and included risperidone (40.3%), olanzapine (32.5%), and quetiapine (24.6%); the doses administered varied between countries and deviated from the recommended guidelines. Upon discharge, 93.9% of patients were prescribed SGAs as maintenance therapy, and 84.8% were prescribed the same medication(s) as during hospitalization. Conclusion: Current clinical practice in the Middle East differs from guideline recommendations. Patients frequently received antipsychotics in combination therapy, by various methods of administration, and at doses above and below the recommended guidelines for the management of their acute psychotic episodes. Keywords: schizophrenia, Middle East, second-generation antipsychotic, acute psychotic episode, treatment guideline