How will current health spending in Kuwait meet the demands of a changing epidemiological and demographic landscape? A study exploring ways to improve the efficiency of health spending in Kuwait

The increasing burden of disease in Kuwait is likely to raise demand for health funding. As current health spending is financed almost exclusively from oil revenues, the state’s ability to meet growing demand will be dependent on either growing oil revenues at the same rate, reducing spending in other sectors, rationing health service provision or improving the efficiency of health spending. As current evidence suggests that oil revenues may be declining, improvements in efficiency are likely to be sought and some prioritisation may be needed

Restoration and Management for Damaged Ecosystems in the State of Kuwait

Land degradation and desertification is a serious global issue facing arid ecosystems. Problems of land degradation in Kuwait deserts have accelerated throughout the world, leading to loss of vegetation cover and topsoil fertility, increasing the intensity of desertification. Environmental disasters had occurred as a result of the Iraq’s unlawful invasion and the occupation of Kuwait in 1991 impacted multiple ecosystems by through oil spills and military activities. Therefore, the Kuwaiti government selected six future protected areas, which are damaged and will be managed under a restoration plan. Umm Nigga, which is considered one of these future protected areas, was selected as a study area for our research. The northern portion of Umm Nigga, containing both coastal and desert ecosystems, falls within the boundaries of the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) adjacent to Iraq, and has been fenced off to restrict public access since 1994. The central objective of this research is was to assess and design a conceptual framework for restoration planning. The specific objectives of this research were to: (1) utilize remote sensing, field assessment, and GIS spatial data to develop a site history for restoration planning, (2) utilize GIS and remote sensing to compare soil erosion models by water including MPSIAC, EMP, and RUSLE, and (3) assess the soil condition at the site by conducting soil and vegetation sampling, and to determine suitable locations for re-vegetation using GIS. Results showed that vegetation cover increased in the unfenced damaged site after the 1991 Gulf War from 2% in 1988 to 37% in 1998, but then it decreased to 23% in 2013. In the DMZ (fenced site), the vegetation cover also increased from 0% in 1988 to 40% in 1998, but it continued increasing through 2013 to 64%. We conclude that overgrazing and destructive camping are the major source of disturbance in the damaged areas. Our results also showed that the MPSIAC and EMP models were similar in spatial distribution of erosion, though the MPSIAC had more variability. However, the RUSLE presented unrealistic results. We then identified the amount of soil loss between coastal and desert areas, and fenced and unfenced sites for each model. In the MPSIAC and EMP models, soil loss was different between fenced and unfenced sites at the desert areas, which was higher at the unfenced due to the low vegetation cover. The overall results implied that vegetation cover played an important role in reducing soil erosion. According to the soil sampling and vegetation assessment in the field, we found that the vegetation in the coastal ecosystem site was not damaged, due to difficulty of access by people and grazing animals. However, in the desert ecosystem site, phosphors, potassium, and organic matter were higher at the reference area, and correlated with the higher vegetation cover. We conclude that soil remediation and re-vegetation may not be necessary to restore the damaged sites, given that damaged sites still contain concentration of nutrients which is likely sufficient to support native desert plant growth. Therefore, we believe that fencing alone will likely release the ecosystem in Umm Nigga from the former disturbance and allow recovery. However, if natural recovery does not begin within a few years, then re-vegetation should take place as a secondary option

乾燥環境における食料安全保証向上のための管理農業に関する考察：クウェートに焦点をあてた湾岸協力会議から見た問題整理

要約のみTohoku University松八重一代課

Invasive pneumonia with skin peeling caused by Group A Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus and Kawasaki Disease

Group A Streptococcus commonly causes cellulitis and pharyngitis, but in rare instances, it may cause pneumonia. Herein, we report a case of invasive pneumonia with classic symptoms of Kawasaki disease (KD). This case highlights the importance of considering KD in patients with pneumonia, especially when they present with typical KD features and do not respond to antibiotics.Objectives: To present our case of invasive pneumonia with skin peeling caused by group a beta-hemolytic streptococcus and kawasaki disease presented to General Pediatric Unit, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Subjects and Methods: Case study of a four-years-old boy who was presented to the hospital with fever, cough, and dyspnea that persisted for 7 days. His medical history was unremarkable, and his immunizations were up to date as per the Saudi Ministry of Health vaccination schedule for children of that age.Results: As a result, the final diagnosis was confirmed as KD with GAS. Treatment with vancomycin and tazocin was sustained for a whole of three weeks, and subsequently the case was discharged after a follow-up cardiology examination. Echocardiography was repeated after six weeks of illness with no evidence of coronary dilatation.Conclusion: A diagnosis of KD should be considered in patients with pneumonia who exhibit the characteristic symptoms of KD, especially when a poor response to antibiotic treatment is observed

Assessment of Knowledge Among the Physicians Regarding Dental Screening Prior to Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy

Objective: To evaluate the physicians\u27 knowledge regarding the referral for dental screening prior to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Material and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using simple random sampling among 468 physicians from various specialties with diverse experience levels from different regions in Saudi Arabia. A self-reporting questionnaire was distributed among the physicians, which consisted of questions assessing the physicians\u27 knowledge about oral health and complications in patients prior to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Statistical analysis was done after the data was collected employing SPSS, and p<0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Residents were more as expected (39.3%), followed by specialists (2.31%). The majority had a practice experience for more than five years (67.8%). The scores for the knowledge assessment showed that 51.3%, nearly half of the participants, had lower scores. The scores were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: General physicians and specialists should be aware of the dental complications and associated diseases in patients with malignancies and those undergoing chemo and radiotherapy. It is proposed that more awareness should be raised among physicians to rectify this lapse

Sleep disorders and its effect on community

The main aim of this paper is to analysis the effect of sleep disorders on the community. This study is quantitative. The questionnaire was designed and distributed among the student in school in the city of Riyadh high and intermediate school. The sample of this study consist 100 students. The researcher visited a school in the city of Riyadh high and intermediate school sections and that on December 10 to 11 to measure the impact of sleep disorders through a questionnaire that measures the effects of lack of sleep and then make them aware of the benefits of sleep and harm of lack of sleep from the physical and psychological effects, and it gave a lecture educate the students and then distribute them brochure contain the benefits and harmful effects of sleep. SPSS 21 was used to analysis that data. The results of the study indicated that lack of sleep limits a person's ability to think and solve the problem effectively, which means that people who wake up for a long time influence them to learn at an effective level. Lack of sleep affects the ability of thinking and can limit your ability to accurately interpret events, which can be difficult to respond correctly to situations in which effective decision-making is intelligent. The lack of sleep, even for one night can lead to swelling of the eyes and turn the skin into pale skin. Keywords: Sleep disorders, community

KNOWLEDGE OF PALLIATIVE CARE AND PREFERENCE OF END OF LIFE CARE A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY OF PATIENT AND HOME CAREGIVER IN RIYADH

Background:Palliative care (PC) is a specialist medical care that is provided to patients with severe illness regardless of their diagnosis to alleviate symptoms and stress. Awareness regarding PC and end-of-life (EOL) is necessary to initiate the necessary care to the patients promptly and properly. However, knowledge and awareness regarding PC are insufficient among the population.Aim:To identify the knowledge of PC and associated factors among patients and their caregivers in Riyadh.Methods:This cross-sectional research was conducted on patients and their caregivers in National Guard Hospital, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, and King Fahad Medical City in the period from--------to--------. The study was conducted using a survey that investigated the demographics and knowledge of the participants.Results:A total of 220 subjects participated in this research, and 45.5% had awareness before admission of patients to PC. There, 50.9% of the subjects reported home and specialized centers where PC is provided, and 83.2% reported healthcare providers as the source of their information. The knowledge was significantly varied with employment status (P=0.004), relation to the patient (P=0.003), PC duration (P=0.01), tumor location (P=0.002), and perspective of subjects regarding the place of PC provision (P=0.0001).Conclusion:There was low knowledge regarding PC and a preference for EOL. The knowledge of the participants varied with several factors, including employment status, relationship to the patient, duration of PC, and tumor location

Opinion of Healthcare Professionals in the Usage of Social Media for Patient Care in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia

Use of social media for patient care is the new frontier in the healthcare indus-try. Sharing of information between the clinicians and their patients is now so much easier. In slowly gaining a foothold worldwide it needs a healthy push to make it universally accepta-ble. Study the knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare providers on the usage of social media in their clinical practice.A baseline cross–sectional study was conducted among 200 healthcare professionals from March 2015 to September 2015 on their knowledge, attitude, and practices in the use of social media for patient care in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia. A close ended self – administered validated questionnaire was used to gather data which was analyzed by using the SPSS ver. 21.0 software. 55.3% participants used social media for both professional and personal reasons. Some (25.3%) specified using it for patient care while a significant majority (52.9%) opined that it can be successfully used for patient interaction. Nearly 55% agreed that social media should not be banned due to its benefits as an efficient tool for patient communication. Social media use for pa-tient doctor interaction should be encouraged to improve patient care through effective communication

Quality of Life of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

This study aimed at exploring the assessment of Quality of Life (QOL) in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), and aiming at assessing the QOL of patients with stages 1–5 Chronic Kidney Disease CKD on conservative treatment in order to identify a possible association between Quality Of Life QOL and progression of kidney insufficiency. The results were compared with those obtained for patients on hemodialysis. Sociodemographic, clinical and laboratory data were also evaluated. And the study concluded that research efforts have expanded significantly to determine the state of pediatric CKD patient HRQOL and the factors that impact HRQOL across all stages of CKD and all modalities of renal replacement therapy. Data from all studies suggest that children with a renal transplant fare better with respect to HRQOL than those receiving dialysis