The Saudi Critical Care Society practice guidelines on the management of COVID-19 in the ICU: Therapy section

BACKGROUND: The rapid increase in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases during the subsequent waves in Saudi Arabia and other countries prompted the Saudi Critical Care Society (SCCS) to put together a panel of experts to issue evidence-based recommendations for the management of COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: The SCCS COVID-19 panel included 51 experts with expertise in critical care, respirology, infectious disease, epidemiology, emergency medicine, clinical pharmacy, nursing, respiratory therapy, methodology, and health policy. All members completed an electronic conflict of interest disclosure form. The panel addressed 9 questions that are related to the therapy of COVID-19 in the ICU. We identified relevant systematic reviews and clinical trials, then used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach as well as the evidence-to-decision framework (EtD) to assess the quality of evidence and generate recommendations. RESULTS: The SCCS COVID-19 panel issued 12 recommendations on pharmacotherapeutic interventions (immunomodulators, antiviral agents, and anticoagulants) for severe and critical COVID-19, of which 3 were strong recommendations and 9 were weak recommendations. CONCLUSION: The SCCS COVID-19 panel used the GRADE approach to formulate recommendations on therapy for COVID-19 in the ICU. The EtD framework allows adaptation of these recommendations in different contexts. The SCCS guideline committee will update recommendations as new evidence becomes available

Treatment Options for Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children in Saudi Arabia

Abstract: Methods: To assess the diagnostic criteria and therapeutic modalities for pediatric IDA employed by physicians in a major public healthcare facility in Riyadh, a validated questionnaire including demographic data and patient case scenarios related to diagnosis and treatment of IDA was employed. Robust regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with overall score of participants. Wide variability was observed in IDA diagnosis and therapy practices. For nutritional IDA, only 15.6% recommended no other laboratory tests in addition to CBC. The majority preferred treatment with ferrous sulfate (77.6%) divided into two doses (57.1%), but the total daily elemental iron doses varied widely from 2 to 6 mg/kg. Of all assessed factors, median score was significantly highest in pediatric hematologists compared with pediatricians, family medicine specialists and GPs; p = 0.007, and those work in tertiary care compared with those in primary care; p = 0.043. However, in multivariate robust regression analysis, overall score was only significantly associated with professional qualification [pediatric hematologist β = 13.71,95%CI 2.48–24.95, p = 0.017; pediatrician β = 1.77,95%C (− 6.05–9.59, p = 0.66; family medicine β = 2.66,95%CI-4.30-9.58, p = 0.45 compared with general practitioner]. Conclusion: Wide variations exist among physicians in diagnosis and treatment of pediatric IDA. Keywords: Iron deficiency anemia, Treatment, Diagnosis, Assessment, Pediatric. Title: Treatment Options for Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children in Saudi Arabia Author: Moneerah Mohammed Alzoman, Kassem Jawad Alobaid, Norah alnashmi Alshalwi, Bedah Doujain alsuhali, Qamra Saud Alshlwai, Sally faisal alharbi, Talal ali alenazi, hessah Falah AlTamimi, Talal Marui Adiri International Journal of Healthcare Sciences ISSN 2348-5728 (Online) Vol. 11, Issue 1, April 2023 - September 2023 Page No: 262-269 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 12-September-2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8337379 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/treatment-options-for-iron-deficiency-anemia-in-children-in-saudi-arabiaInternational Journal of Healthcare Sciences, ISSN 2348-5728 (Online), Research Publish Journals, Website: www.researchpublish.co

Evaluation of Knowledge and Awareness regarding COVID-19 Disease among Medical and Dental students in Saudi Arabia

Objective: To evaluate the levels of information regarding the current emerging outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among medical and dental students at universities in Saudi Arabia through an online questionnaire. Methods: A detailed structured questionnaire was prepared, containing demographic profiles and questions related to knowledge and awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was emailed to 240 subjects, out of these, 209 responded to all the questions. Results: The majority of the respondents were aware of the current and past epidemics of the coronavirus diseases, and they heard about SARS or MERS (89.5%) and the COVID-19 pandemic (94.7%). Internet was the main source of information (63.1%) followed by professors and physicians (24.2%), print media (6.1%), television (4%), and family or friends (2.5%). The majority of respondents received information about COVID-19 from the Ministry of Health (85.6%) and 44.5% of respondents participated in the COVID-19 symposium or conference. Respondents of the college of Medicine were more aware (96.1%) about COVID-19 than respondents of the college of Dentistry (86.2%; p=0.02). Conclusion: The study finds a high level of COVID-19 awareness among medical and dental students at KSA universities. However, there is a need to study in a community-level assessment regarding knowledge about COVID-1