Patient's desire and preference for provision of information toward greater involvement in shared care

Objectives: To determine the perceptions of patients on whether they receive sufficient information about their medical problems, their preferences to obtain information, and factors that may influence their preferences. Design and Settings: Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study conducted in a primary health-care center affiliated with the National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods: Patients attending the center between October and December 2010 were interviewed using a questionnaire developed to meet the objectives of the study. Results: A total of 245 patients participated in the study. The mean (±standard deviation) age of the participants was 43 (±16) years. Reported cases of dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension among participants were 42%, 39%, and 31%, respectively. A minority of the participants indicated that they had a sufficient knowledge of their medical problems. The vast majority of the patients (92%) indicated that their preference to be informed about available treatment options and the plan for their future treatment. However, only 38% indicated that they had been told about the available treatment options, and less than half (48%) were informed about their future treatment plan. The proportion of male patients who preferred to know the treatment plan for their medical problems was significantly more than that of females (P < 0.001); nevertheless, female participants perceived that they had been better informed about their treatment plan than the male participants (P = 0.003). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that patients receive information about their medical problems much less than their expectations. Measures to promote patient education and their involvement in shared care process should be considered and implemented to minimize serious health outcomes

Prevalence of Dietary Supplements Use among Gymnasium Users

Background. Several studies showed that regular gymnasium users use various dietary supplements without comprehension of their potential risks. Objective. To determine the prevalence and dietary supplement intake and assess the awareness of supplement use among regular gymnasium users in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among regular gymnasium users in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between April 2015 and June 2015. A validated structured questionnaire was used. Results. The study included 299 participants. Of these 113 (37.8%) were dietary supplements users and this was more common among males than females (44.7% versus 16.4%). Gender based analysis showed that males were exercising more frequently than females and the type of cardiovascular exercise was more among them. The most commonly used supplements were whey protein (22.1%), amino acids (16.8%), multivitamins (16.8%), creatine (11.5%), and omega 3 (11.5%). The reasons for taking dietary supplements were to improve body shape (47.7%), increase health (44.2%), and improve performance (41.5%). Conclusion. Most of the information about supplements was obtained from unreliable sources. More studies are needed to better understand supplements use and their impact on health in Saudi Arabia

Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology significantly improved mycetoma diagnosis

Background : Ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (US-FNAC) has improved the diagnosis of many malignancies, infections and other diseases as it is safe, simple, quick and accurate. In mycetoma, it is assumed that this technique may have a better diagnostic yield than the conventional FNAC as it can accurately identify the optimal site for the aspiration. Objective : To compare the diagnostic yield of conventional FNAC with US-FNAC. Methods : This descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study included 80 patients with clinically suspected mycetoma. Results : Of the 80 patients included, 35 proved to have actinomycetoma, and 37 had eumycetoma based on surgical biopsies, histopathological examination and the culture of grains. Eight patients appeared to have no mycetoma. For actinomycetoma diagnosis, the US-guided FNAC improved sensitivity to 97% and negative predictive value (NPV) to 83% compared to the conventional FNAC, which had 63% sensitivity; and NPV of 28%. No improvement was found for specificity. For eumycetoma, the conventional FNAC had 86.5% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% PPV and 37.5% NPV. The US-FNAC for the diagnosis of eumycetoma had 100% sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions and relevance : The obtained results showed that US-FNAC is better than the conventional FNAC with lower false-negative results. It can accurately distinguish between the two types of mycetoma, allowing rapid initiation of proper treatment. The technique can be used in rural areas with low resources and for epidemiological surveys as a quick screening tool for patients suspected of mycetoma

Prevalence of Dietary Supplements Use among Gymnasium Users

Background. Several studies showed that regular gymnasium users use various dietary supplements without comprehension of their potential risks. Objective. To determine the prevalence and dietary supplement intake and assess the awareness of supplement use among regular gymnasium users in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among regular gymnasium users in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between April 2015 and June 2015. A validated structured questionnaire was used. Results. The study included 299 participants. Of these 113 (37.8%) were dietary supplements users and this was more common among males than females (44.7% versus 16.4%). Gender based analysis showed that males were exercising more frequently than females and the type of cardiovascular exercise was more among them. The most commonly used supplements were whey protein (22.1%), amino acids (16.8%), multivitamins (16.8%), creatine (11.5%), and omega 3 (11.5%). The reasons for taking dietary supplements were to improve body shape (47.7%), increase health (44.2%), and improve performance (41.5%). Conclusion. Most of the information about supplements was obtained from unreliable sources. More studies are needed to better understand supplements use and their impact on health in Saudi Arabia

Remote Ischaemic Conditioning in STEMI Patients in Sub-Saharan AFRICA: Rationale and Study Design for the RIC-AFRICA Trial

10.1007/s10557-021-07283-yCardiovascular Drugs and Therap