Computer literacy of physicians among the hospitals of Makkah region

Background and Objectives: A confidential inquiry by the Directorate General of Health Affairs, Makkah region, Saudi Arabia, found physicians in different hospitals were reluctant to enter patients′ related information in electronic medical record systems. One of the major issues raised was that they didn′t have the required computer literacy. Our aim, therefore, was to conduct a survey to highlight the computer literacy among the physicians of Makkah region. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was performed from May to July 2009. A structured questionnaire of four A4 size paper was distributed among the physicians of the Makkah region working in seven different hospitals. The questionnaire contained questions on background knowledge of computers, i.e., (a) basic computer vocabulary knowledge (BCVK) (10 questions), (b) basic computer skills (BCS) (22 questions), (c) basic communication and internet skills (BCIS) (12 questions). Results: Response rate of 368, i.e., 81.6% of sample size (n = 451) was attained. The maximum response came from King Abdul Aziz Hospital (Taif), i.e., 79%. Overall BCVK, BCS and BCIS were the highest among the physicians of Alnoor Specialist Hospital, i.e., 71.3%, 91.4%, 87.7%, respectively. All the hospitals had a satisfactory level of BCVK, but levels of BCS and BCIS were above satisfactory except King Abdul Aziz Hospital (Jeddah) that showed a satisfactory level in BCIS. Conclusion: Majority of the physicians had a good or an excellent level of computer background knowledge that gave a prediction toward the issues of their non-promising attitude and beliefs about electronic data entry

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites among Patients of Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites among patients of a tertiary care hospital.Methods: A total of 12,054 samples received from the outpatient as well as inpatient departments from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2009 in Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Stool examinations were performed by direct method and concentrated Techniques for all patients.Results: Overall, the prevalence of intestinal parasites was 6.2% (740 cases). Majority of patients were infected by Entamoeba histolytica (4.7%) followed by Giardia lamblia (1.3%), while Ankylostoma duodenal (0.02%) exhibited the minimum prevalence. Parasitic infections were more frequent in non-Saudis than Saudis patients (7.1% vs. 5.8%; p<0.05). There was no significant difference between males and females regarding parasitic infections, with a female:male ratio of 1:1.08. There was a higher prevalence in patients under five years of age (9.1%), followed by patients aged 5-14 years (7.5%).Conclusion: The notable finding from this study is the high prevalence of E. histolytica. Overall, parasitic infections were more prevalent in patients under five years of age and in non-Saudi nationals

End-of-life palliative chemotherapy: Where do we stand?

Background: This study evaluates the use of palliative chemotherapy (PCT) and possible associated factors at the end of life. Method: The study includes all advanced non hematological cancer patients who died in the King Abdullah Medical City during the period from January 2011 to April 2014. Demographic and disease features were registered. Results: 420 patients were included in the study, median age 62 years (range 17–108); 52% female and 48% male. 87.4% of patients were Saudis and 12.6% non Saudis. 124 (29.5%) patients received PCT at the last month before death (LM-PCT): 21.8%, 22.6% and 55.6% within one, two and four weeks of death, respectively. Place of death (critical care vs. regular ward) and mode of admission (ER vs. OPD vs. Transferred) had a strong association with LM-PCT (p < 0.0001, ϕ = 0.35) and (p < 0.0001, V = 0.43), respectively. There was a gradual increase in the number of patients receiving LM-PCT from January 2011 to April 2014; 15.3%, 28.2%, 37.1% and 19.4%, respectively. Conclusion: In our center; at the end of life, there is a gradual increase in the number of patients receiving chemotherapy which significantly increased cancer patients’ odds without clear predictive factors associated with its use, which calls into question the benefits of PCT in terminally ill cancer patients

Impact of body mass index on clinico-pathological parameters and outcome in patients with metastatic prostate cancer

Background: This study evaluates the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and clinicopathological parameters of metastatic prostate cancer (MPC) and its impact on survival. Method: During the study period, 71 MPC patients were eligible. Patients with BMI < 25.0 kg/m2 were categorized as level I and patients with BMI ⩾ 25.0 kg/m2 were categorized as level II. Demographic features and survival rates were evaluated by the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional models. Results: 31 patients belonged to level I while the rest belonged to level II with insignificant higher median follow-up duration in level II; p = 0.5. In terms of age, metastasis, serum level of albumin, prostatic specific antigen, alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and Gleason score, there was no significant difference between the two levels. The cumulative survival probability in the 12th, 24th and 36th month in level I vs; level II was; 86.7%, 68.7%, 64.1% vs; 74.4%, 67.7%, 55.1%, respectively with 7 patients dead in level I compared to 14 patients dead in level II denoting a higher PC-specific death rate in the level II group. In univariate and multivariate analysis, poor prognosis was associated with increasing AKP (HR = 1.0005, 95% CI, p = 0.03; HR = 1.001, 95% CI, p = 0.03) respectively, while better prognosis was associated with no visceral metastasis (HR = 0.09, 95% CI, p = 0.000; HR = 0.04, 95% CI, p = 0.000) and increasing albumin levels (HR = 0.17, 95% CI, p = 0.000; HR = 0.15, 95% CI, p = 0.000) respectively. In multivariate analysis only, patients belonging to level I were associated with better prognosis (HR = 0.17, 95% CI, p = 0.02). Conclusion: BMI is dependent on prognostic factors in patients with MPC