Correlation of ultrasonographic estimated fetal weight with actual birth weight at a rural setting

Background: Ultrasound estimation of fetal weight in term pregnancies is used to determine fetal growth. The objective of this study was to assess the precision of sonographic estimation of fetal weight in normal vaginal deliveries at a rural setting.Methods: The study was cross-sectional. A group of 74 pregnant women delivered normally in Muglad hospital in West Kordofan, Sudan, were considered in the study. Fetal weight was estimated by Hadlock and shephards formulae within one week prior to delivery and then newborn weight was taken within 24 hours after delivery. Data were collected by a questionnaire and medical examination as well as sonographic examination. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 23 and Kruskal Wallis Test (post-hoc analysis) Pearson’s correlation coefficient within 95% confidence interval. p value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: The correlation, by Paired sample, to assess fetal weight was as follows: between Hadlock and shephards was 0.901 (p < 0.001), between Hadlock and AFW was 0.908 (p < 0.001) and between Shephards and AFW was 0.781 (p < 0.001).Conclusions: Estimation of fetal weight by Hadlock has been more correlated with actual fetal weight (AFW) than that done with shephards. The study recommends using Hadlock formula which is more accurate in estimation of fetal weight by sonography

Medical students' perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine therapies: A pre- and post-exposure survey in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia

Background: Evidently, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is increasingly a recognized medical practice that efficiently uses multiple treatment therapies and techniques in promoting the health  and wellbeing of people as well as preventing and managing a variety of human disorders. Research in CAM, which courses exposure to diverse healthcare professionals, is important from many perspectives including improvement in teaching skills of faculty, enhancing capacity building, and  innovative curriculum development. This pre- and post-design crosssectional study aimed to assess perceptions, training needs, personal usage, use in office practice, and knowledge of two batches of medical students toward CAM therapies in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia.Materials and Methods: The second year medical students of the first (year 2012-13) and second (year 2013-2014) batch [n=26 &amp; 39, respectively] were selected for this study. A reliable 16-item  self-administered questionnaire was distributed among all students for answering before and after the 48-hour specific 19 CAM therapies course, in terms of CAM therapies are clearly conventional or  alternative, training needs, effectiveness, personal use, use in practice, management of two clinical cases by CAM or conventional therapies, and views about which evidence based approach strongly support individual CAM modalities.Results: Medical students' knowledge and perceptions of CAM therapies significantly improved across some sub-items of CAM questionnaire with a positive trend in the rest of its items including their views about CAM therapies, need for further training, personal use of therapies and advising patients regarding CAM practices strongly supported by randomized clinical controlled trials and published case studies.Conclusion: CAM course tends to have positive impact on the knowledge and perceptions of medical students, in addition to need for further training, and personal use and use of CAM therapies in practice in line with strong evidence-based data regarding therapeutic efficacy. The preliminary results of this study call for further research in specific CAM modalities with a larger sample in academic settings across the nation. Key words: Medical students; Complementary and Alternative Medicine; CAM course; CAM therapies; pre-post design study; Saudi Arabia

MEDICAL STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THERAPIES: A PRE- AND POST-EXPOSURE SURVEY IN MAJMAAH UNIVERSITY, SAUDI ARABIA

Background: Evidently, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is increasingly a recognized medical practice that efficiently uses multiple treatment therapies and techniques in promoting the health and wellbeing of people as well as preventing and managing a variety of human disorders. Research in CAM, which courses exposure to diverse healthcare professionals, is important from many perspectives including improvement in teaching skills of faculty, enhancing capacity building, and innovative curriculum development. This pre- and post-design crosssectional study aimed to assess perceptions, training needs, personal usage, use in office practice, and knowledge of two batches of medical students toward CAM therapies in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: The second year medical students of the first (year 2012-13) and second (year 2013-2014) batch [n=26 & 39, respectively] were selected for this study. A reliable 16-item self-administered questionnaire was distributed among all students for answering before and after the 48-hour specific 19 CAM therapies course, in terms of CAM therapies are clearly conventional or alternative, training needs, effectiveness, personal use, use in practice, management of two clinical cases by CAM or conventional therapies, and views about which evidence based approach strongly support individual CAM modalities. Results: Medical students' knowledge and perceptions of CAM therapies significantly improved across some sub-items of CAM questionnaire with a positive trend in the rest of its items including their views about CAM therapies, need for further training, personal use of therapies and advising patients regarding CAM practices strongly supported by randomized clinical controlled trials and published case studies. Conclusion: CAM course tends to have positive impact on the knowledge and perceptions of medical students, in addition to need for further training, and personal use and use of CAM therapies in practice in line with strong evidence-based data regarding therapeutic efficacy. The preliminary results of this study call for further research in specific CAM modalities with a larger sample in academic settings across the nation

Challenges university students face while studying away from hometown: A cross-sectional study

This study aims to highlight the challenges that undergraduates face when traveling a significant distance from home to study. These challenges are psychological, financial, and nutritional. The study was descriptive and based on a survey conducted to investigate the challenges faced by university students while studying away from their hometown. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 214 undergraduates between February and April 2021. The collected data were analyzed using the computer program SPSS version 24. Pearson's Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were applied to observe associations between qualitative variables. A total of 214 undergraduates participated in the study, with a median age of 22 years. The study found significant relationships between weight change and housing (P < 0.001), weight change and distance (P < 0.001), level of homesickness and housing (P < 0.001), level of homesickness and college distance (P < 0.001), and financial status with housing (P = 0.025). The study revealed that a significant number of undergraduate participants face psychological, financial, and nutritional challenges. These challenges include psychosocial issues, such as homesickness financial difficulties, such as money issues, and nutritional concerns, such as weight changes

Satisfaction, self-use and perception of medical students in Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine

AbstractObjectivesComplementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a growing industry in the health care system, and the use of CAM is rapidly evolving. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), little research has addressed the satisfaction, use and perception of medical students towards CAM. The objectives of the current study were to assess the level of medical students' satisfaction and perception towards studying CAM and to determine their self-use of different modalities of CAM.MethodsThis descriptive study was conducted by administering a questionnaire to the first and second batches of the medical students studying the CAM module at the College of Medicine, Majmaah University KSA. The instrument used in this study was a validated self-administered questionnaire, and the retrieved data were analysed using SPSS.ResultsThirty students (43%) were satisfied with studying CAM as a part of the medical curriculum. The rest of the students were either dissatisfied (32%) or neutral (25%). The most important CAM modalities self-used by the medical students were prayers (46 students or 66.7%), herbal products (42 students or 60.9%) and massage (32 students or 46.4%). Forty-three students (62%) showed a positive perception towards practicing CAM in the future.ConclusionThis study has shown that there is an overall low satisfaction among the medical students regarding CAM as a part of the medical curriculum. The most common self-use CAM modalities by the medical students were prayers, herbal products, massage, nutritional supplements and acupuncture

Medical students' opinion toward the application of complementary and alternative medicine in healthcare

Context: An accelerated approach to popularize complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in healthcare services has led to the need to assess medical students' knowledge of CAM. Furthermore, their attitude toward its efficacy and usage will determine its growing popularity in healthcare. Another key idea is to integrate CAM with conventional medical teaching to make it a part of the mainstream medical curriculum. The objectives were to assess the medical students' perceptions about integrating CAM with conventional medicine and to assess the attitude of prescribing different CAM modalities to patients presenting with a particular disease or health disorder. Settings and Design: This is a descriptive, institutional based study conducted on undergraduate 3rd year medical students. Materials and Methods: Data were collected by a structured and pretested questionnaire to be filled in by the participants in the presence of the investigator. Statistical data were entered in SPSS software, and descriptive analysis was conducted. Results: Most of the students (74%) agreed that conventional and CAM therapy can be integrated to achieve a better health care outcome. Forty-eight percent of the participants were positive that knowledge of CAM is important since many patients still prefer this option, particularly for chronic illnesses. Conclusions: The students were receptive to the introduction of a new treatment method in their curriculum, which although unconventional, presents an alternative and traditional form of treatment even if it does not have major backing from the scientific community. The participants felt that more knowledge is required to make an informed opinion about its usefulness to the community as a whole