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Objective: To test medical students’ perceptions of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on radiology and the influence of these perceptions on their choice of radiology as a lifetime career. Methods: A cross-sectional multicenter survey of medical students in Saudi Arabia was conducted in April 2019. Results: Of the 476 respondents, 34 considered radiology their first specialty choice, 26 considered it their second choice, and 65 considered it their third choice. Only 31% believed that AI would replace radiologists in their lifetime, while 44.8% believed that AI would minimize the number of radiologists needed in the future. Approximately 50% believed they had a good understanding of AI; however, when knowledge of AI was tested using five questions, on average, only 22% of the questions were answered correctly. Among the respondents who ranked radiology as their first choice, 58.8% were anxious about the uncertain impact of AI on radiology. The number of respondents who ranked radiology as one of their top three choices increased by 14 when AI was not a consideration. Radiology conferences and the opinions of radiologists had the most influence on the respondents’ preferences for radiology. Conclusion: The worry that AI might displace radiologists in the future had a negative influence on medical students’ consideration of radiology as a career. Academic radiologists are encouraged to educate their students about AI and its potential impact when students are considering radiology as a lifetime career choice. Advances in knowledge: Rapid advances of AI in radiology will certainly impact the specialty, the concern of AI impact on radiology had negative influence in our participants and investing in AI education and is highly recommended.

Background: The specific role of emotional intelligence (EI) in the field of plastic surgery has not been investigated. We aim to investigate the relationship between EI and the individual components of burnout among plastic surgery residents in Saudi Arabia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all plastic surgery residents (n = 37) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were invited to participate in a questionnaire based study in March 2018. The survey contained a validated measure of burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey), validated measure of EI (Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form), and evaluated residents’ demographics, professional and personal risk factors, and career satisfaction. Results: The overall rate of high burnout was 37.9%, with 72.4% residents reporting high level of emotional exhaustion (EE), 41% reporting high depersonalization (DP) and 41% reporting low sense of personal accomplishment (PA). EI has shown to have a significant negative relationship with EE (95% confidence interval CI, −9.061 to −1.374; P = 0.010), DP (95% CI, −5.747 to −1.974; P < 0.001), and a significant positive correlation with PA (95% CI, 1.398–5.439; P = 0.002). Significant risk factors for burnout included dissatisfaction with plastic surgery as a career choice, dissatisfaction with income, and dissatisfaction with the role in the operating room ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: We found a positive correlation between higher levels of EI and sense of personal achievement, whereas a negative correlation was observed between higher level of EI and EE and DP among the residents in this study. Plastic surgery residents who are satisfied with their salary have lower EE and DP. Residents who are satisfied with their role in the operating room have a better sense of PA.

Objectives: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Saudi Arabia are not often reported in the literature. This study aimed to identify musculoskeletal symptoms among otorhinolaryngology residents in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted in May 2018 and included residents registered in the Saudi Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Board Training programme, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to assess musculoskeletal symptoms in addition to demographic and occupational factors, including operating position and the average number of operating hours. Results: A total of 45 residents (response rate: 68.2%) completed the survey, including 33 males (73.3%) and 12 females (26.7%). Most residents (91.1%) reported at least one musculoskeletal symptom. The most commonly reported musculoskeletal over the previous 12 months were shoulder complaints (64.4%) followed by neck complaints (60%). In the short term (i.e. within seven days preceding the survey), neck complaints were more common than shoulder complaints (28.9% versus 20%). Lower back complaints were the most common cause of activity limitation (24.4%) followed by shoulder complaints (13.3%), while those with neck complaints reported it as a cause for visiting a physician (8.9%). Hip and thigh complaints were significantly more frequent among residents with operation times of eight hours or more compared to those who operating for less than eight hours (42.9% versus 5.9%; P = 0.021). Conclusion: A high incidence of shoulder, neck and lower back complaints was found in this study. Residency is an ideal time in an otorhinolaryngologist’s career to implement programmes in ergonomic best practices before bad habits are developed.Keywords: Otorhinolaryngology; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities; Symptoms and Signs; Workplace; Ergonomics; Saudi Arabia.