BackgroundUncontrolled asthma remains a frequent cause of emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions. Improper asthma inhaler device use is most likely one of the major causes associated with uncontrolled asthma and frequent ED visits.ObjectivesTo evaluate the inhaler technique among asthmatic patients seen in ED, and to investigate the characteristics of these patients and factors associated with improper use of inhaler devices and its relationship with asthma control and ED visits.MethodsA cross-sectional study of all the patients who visited the ED with bronchial asthma attacks over a 9-month period was undertaken at two major academic hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Information was collected about demographic data and asthma management and we assessed the inhaler techniques for each patient using an inhaler technique checklist.ResultsA total of 450 asthma patients were included in the study. Of these, 176(39.1%) were males with a mean age of 42.3 ±16.7 years and the mean duration of asthma was 155.9 ± 127.1 weeks. The improper use of asthma inhaler devices was observed in 203(45%) of the patients and was associated with irregular clinic follow-ups (p = 0.0001), lack of asthma education (p = 0.0009), uncontrolled asthma ACT (score ≤ 15) (p = 0.001), three or more ED visits (p = 0.0497), and duration of asthma of less than 52 weeks (p = 0.005). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that a lack of education about asthma disease (OR =1.65; 95% CI: 1.07, 2.54) or a lack of regular follow-up (OR =1.73; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.76) was more likely to lead to the improper use of an asthma inhaler device.ConclusionImproper asthma inhaler device use is associated with poor asthma control and more frequent ED visits. We also identified many avoidable risk factors leading to the improper use of inhaler devices among asthma patients visiting the ED.

BackgroundAcute asthma attacks remain a frequent cause of emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admission. Many factors encourage patients to seek asthma treatment at the emergency department. These factors may be related to the patient himself or to a health system that hinders asthma control. The aim of this study was to identify the main factors that lead to the frequent admission of asthmatic patients to the ED.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of all the patients who visited the emergency room with bronchial asthma attacks over a 9-month period was undertaken at two major academic hospitals. The following data were collected: demographic data, asthma control in the preceding month, where and by whom the patients were treated, whether the patient received education about asthma or its medication and the patients’ reasons for visiting the ED.ResultFour hundred fifty (N = 450) patients were recruited, 39.1% of whom were males with a mean age of 42.3 ± 16.7. The mean duration of asthma was 155.90 ± 127.13 weeks. Approximately half of the patients did not receive any information about bronchial asthma as a disease, and 40.7% did not receive any education regarding how to use asthma medication. Asthma was not controlled or partially controlled in the majority (97.7%) of the patients preceding the admission to ED. The majority of the patients visited the ED to receive a bronchodilator by nebuliser (86.7%) and to obtain oxygen (75.1%). Moreover, 20.9% of the patients believed that the ED managed them faster than the clinic, and 21.1% claimed that their symptoms were severe enough that they could not wait for a clinic visit. No education about asthma and uncontrolled asthma are the major factors leading to frequent ED visits (three or more visits/year), p-value = 0.0145 and p-value = 0.0003, respectively. Asthma control also exhibited a significant relationship with inhaled corticosteroid ICS use (p-value =0.0401) and education about asthma (p-value =0.0117).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that many avoidable risk factors lead to uncontrolled asthma and frequent ED visits.

Objectives:To examine the associations between sleep duration and a variety of demographic and clinical variables in a sample of Saudi adults.Methods:A cross-sectional study among 2,095 participants was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between May and October 2014. A questionnaire was administered to collect data related to clinical health outcomes and demographic characteristics. Participants were asked to report their average sleep duration per night in hours.Results:One-third (33.8%) reported short sleep duration of less than 7 hours/night. Short sleep duration was more prevalent in females (37.3% versus 31.4%, p=0.004). The most common medical problems reported were obesity with body mass index of >30 Kg/m2 (39.1%), hypertension (33.9%), diabetes mellitus (20.8%), depression (4.3%), asthma (17.3%), COPD (6.6%), and hyperlipidemia (2.7%). Diabetes mellitus was associated with long sleep of more than 9 hours/night (25.4%, p=0.011) and hypertension (54.2%, p=0.001). The linear regression model tend to reduce their sleep duration by roughly 22 minutes in female gender, 66 minutes in participants with hyperlipidemia, and 70 minutes in participants with poor sleep quality.Conclusions:Short sleep duration per night was prevalent, it affects one in every 3 Saudi adults. Long sleep duration of more than 9 hours was associated with increased comorbid conditions.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:The goal of the study was to assess asthma control using asthma control test (ACT) and to explore the factors that effects asthma control among participants with bronchial asthma in the outpatient clinic setting.METHODS:This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the outpatient primary care clinic at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh. Adult patients who were diagnosed with bronchial asthma by their primary treating physician were recruited over a 6-month period. Patients completed the ACT and questionnaires, which identified factors that affect asthma control.RESULTS:Four hundred asthmatic patients (n = 400) were enrolled, and 70% of these patients were women. Fifty-four percent of patients inappropriately used the inhaler device. The estimated prevalence of uncontrolled asthma at the time of the study was 39.8%. Inappropriate device use by the patient was more frequently associated with uncontrolled asthma (P—value = 0.001). Active smoking (P—value = 0.007), passive smoking (P—value = 0.019), unsealed mattress (P—value = 0.030), and workplace triggers (P—value = 0.036) were also associated with uncontrolled asthma. However, the extent of asthma control did not appear to be related to the existence of regular follow-ups, bedroom carpets, outpatient clinic visits, age, body mass index (BMI), or duration of asthma.CONCLUSIONS:The present study identified a high prevalence of uncontrolled asthma in the primary outpatient clinic setting and common risk factors that may contribute to poor asthma control.

Insomnia is most prevalent among Saudi females and the elderly Saudi population.

Organ transplantation is a lifesaving treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure. Despite the advanced medical science and technology, shortage of organs had led to a growing gap between the demand for organs and the number of donors. With a limited number of studies on the subject and based on those findings, the public knowledge and attitudes must be assessed to understand more clearly that why many people are opposing donating their organs in Saudi Arabia. The objective of our study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of the adult population toward organ donation in Saudi Arabia. This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study where the information was collected using a self-administered questionnaire in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was distributed in both King Khalid Hospital and Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, and data gathered analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0). There were a total of 403 respondents. Nearly 35.6% did not have the knowledge that organ donation is legal in the KSA. Almost 97% did not know where to go if they want to become donors. All of who were willing to donate, the most common reason was to save someone's life (92.7%). Body distortion (39%) and fear of health complications (35%) were the most common causes people opposed donation. It was suggested that, in order to increase the awareness for organ donation, the important role of health workers and hospital displays should be immediately addressed and public lectures should be held on regular basis. Information regarding organ donation should be incorporated with clear messages in various mass media.

Interns in King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Medicine have a positive attitude towards research; however, few students submit papers for publication. Lack of time and training in research methods were the main obstacles cited by the interns for conducting and publishing research. Interns welcome training in research, scientific writing and publication practice. These requirements will be issued to the main curriculum committee at the faculty of medicine and recommendations on possible actions will be discussed with the administration.

This study identified many factors that may explain insufficient asthma control.