Internet-based search of randomised trials relevant to mental health originating in the Arab world

BACKGROUND: The internet is becoming a widely used source of accessing medical research through various on-line databases. This instant access to information is of benefit to busy clinicians and service users around the world. The population of the Arab World is comparable to that of the United States, yet it is widely believed to have a greatly contrasting output of randomised controlled trials related to mental health. This study was designed to investigate the existence of such research in the Arab World and also to investigate the availability of this research on-line. METHODS: Survey of findings from three internet-based potential sources of randomised trials originating from the Arab world and relevant to mental health care. RESULTS: A manual search of an Arabic online current contents service identified 3 studies, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO searches identified only 1 study, and a manual search of a specifically indexed, study-based mental health database, PsiTri, revealed 27 trials. CONCLUSION: There genuinely seem to be few trials from the Arab world and accessing these on-line was problematic. Replication of some studies that guide psychiatric/psychological practice in the Arab world would seem prudent

The impact of functional dyspepsia on health-related quality of life in Saudi patients

<b>Objective: </b> The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which was assessed using the Nepean Dyspepsia Index, the Short Form-12 quality of life (QOL) scale, the general health questionnaire (GHQ-30) and the self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20). <b> Materials and Methods:</b> Validated Arabic versions of the four scales were administered to 158 subjects (54 with NUD, 50 with gastroesophageal reflux disease [GERD] and 54 with no history of gastrointestinal [GI] disease), with a mean age of 46.6 years and SD 10.7. <b> Results:</b> Subjects with NUD showed the poorest scores in all indices of general QOL and HRQOL. The differences between the NUD patients and the health control in all HRQOL indices were statistically significant (<i> P</i> &lt; 0.05 to <i> P</i> &lt; 0.001). Comparison between NUD and GERD patients showed significant differences only in the indices of psychological health related QOL (<i> P</i> &lt; 0.05) but not in the indices of other components of QOL, including physical health components. The study also showed that the women scored lower than men in HRQOL indices, particularly those of psychological and mental health components (<i> P</i> &lt; 0.05 to <i> P</i> &lt; 0.001). Finally, it was found that severity of symptoms is associated with the degree of impairments in HRQOL - (r = 0.69) was significant at (<i> P</i> &lt; 0.001). <b> Conclusion:</b> Results of our study showed that HRQOL was significantly impaired in the NUD group. Psychological and mental health related quality of life was particularly impaired in this group compared to both normal patients and patients with similar GI disease. This magnitude of effects on HRQOL was also found to be associated with the severity of symptoms. The implications of these findings for the management of NUD are discussed

An international perspective on behavioral science education in medical schools

The original publication can be found at www.springerlink.comThe behavioral sciences are taught in medical curricula around the world. In the current paper psychologists teaching in medical schools in Australia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States share their experience and reflections. Whilst direct comparisons between countries are not made, the themes that are evident within and between accounts are instructive. As behavioral scientists around the globe are struggling to maintain a presence in medical education many of the reasons behind this are shared, regardless of the country. Challenges discussed include those related to the impact of unrealized potential contributions of psychologists as health care professionals, teaching of behavioral sciences by other professions, domination of the biomedical model without a corresponding recognition of psychology as science, and modern medical pedagogies such as problem-based learning, which favor biomedicine. Systemic and political barriers over which we as a discipline may have little control are also highlighted.Anna Chur-Hansen, John E. Carr, Christine Bundy, Juan Jose Sanchez-Sosa, Sombat Tapanya and Saeed H. Wahas