Objectives: To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine among physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. To assess the awareness about telemedicine among physicians and determine their opinions about telemedicine in the post-pandemic era. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at government hospitals (King Faisal Medical Complex [KFMC]-King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital [KASH]) in Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), from May-August 2020. Taif is a small city in the western region of KSA with a population of 689,000 and 2 main hospitals (KFMC & KASH) which also serve rural areas close to Taif city. A total of 36 physicians practiced telemedicine, only 25 physicians accepted to participate in this study. Results: Thirty-six percent of the responders believed that telemedicine could improve the effectiveness of therapeutic intervention and 44% believed that the quality of care was enhanced using telemedicine. Difficulty in reaching the correct diagnosis due to the lack of physical examination was one of the disadvantages that faced the participants. Conclusion: Telemedicine should be part of medical services but should not completely replace physicians’ personal interaction. Telemedicine could be continued for stable remotely residing patients even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: Studies assessing knowledge about rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are scarce in KSA. The aim of this study was to assess the awareness about ARF and RHD among the population at Taif city, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done on 716 of residents of Taif city. A pre-designed questionnaire that collected data about the participants' demographic characters, their history of sore throat and medication used, participants' knowledge about cause and complications of sore throat, its relation to RHD, treatment, primary and secondary prevention of RHD. Results: 77% of the participants had a history of sore throat, of them 58.4% took antibiotics as a self-medication. A significant higher prevalence of previous history of sore throat was present among 42-50-year-old females, graduated, and those with an income above 10000 SR. Participants with an age of 18-24 years and graduated, had significantly higher percent of those who knew about: cause and complications of sore throat, sore throat is associated with heart diseases, and if treating sore throat can prevent heart disease. Females had a significantly higher percent of those who knew about: complications of sore throat, being extremely aware of that primary prevention of sore throat by using antibiotics such as penicillin and being extremely aware of secondary prevention of recurrence RF and decrease progression of RHD. Conclusion: Raising awareness about ARF and RHD through health education programs is needed.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) has a high incidence rate among females (3 to 8 per 1000) and is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death. Diet is considered one of the risk factors in BC. Phytoestrogens are chemical components similar to estrogen in structure. An isoflavone is a major group of phytoestrogens, and it is found in food like soy products. Aim: Our study investigates the association between soy food intake, BC development and mammogram density among women in Taif City, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three hospitals in Taif City, Saudi Arabia. The data was gathered using a questionnaire created by the authors. Phone interviews were conducted with female patients who visited breast/general surgery clinics from January to July 2020. Results: A total of 194 patients participated in this study. We observed that only two female patients (1.03%) had a history of high soya intake, and both developed BC (p = 0.011). One-third (33.5%) showed scattered areas of fibro-glandular densities in a mammogram. Conclusion: We found that a large amount of soy food intake was significantly associated with a higher risk of BC. There is no relationship between mammogram density and age based on soya intake. More prospective studies with larger sample sizes in different cities of Saudi Arabia are needed to confirm this association.

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