BackgroundIn early 2021, vaccination against COVID-19 became one of the most important measures needed to control the pandemic.
ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the levels of acceptance and factors affecting the decisions among Saudi parents and caregivers of children under 12 for getting them vaccinated.
Design and settingA cross-sectional survey of 1000 caregivers and parents was carried out from May 2021 to June 2021. The participants were from the eastern, central, southern, western, and northern provinces of Saudi Arabia.
Materials and methodsThe data were collected and managed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft ® Corp., Redmond, WA) and analyzed using SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).
ResultsOf the 1000 respondents, 281 (28.1%) reported they would vaccinate their children, 346 (34.6%) rejected vaccination, and 373 (37.3%) were not sure. Most caregivers (24.1%; n = 241) reported protecting children as the principal reason for accepting vaccination. Regarding those rejecting the vaccine, the most common concern was that children might experience side effects (42.9%; n = 429).
LimitationsThe acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine is dynamic and changes with legislations and public awareness policies.
ConclusionsCOVID-19 vaccine acceptance for children was low at the time of this study compared to the United Kingdom and United States. To achieve vaccination coverage that is adequate for herd immunity in Saudi Arabia, intense educational and awareness strategies are needed.
Objectives/hypothesis
This study aimed to compare the predicted anatomy‐based frequency allocation of cochlear implant electrodes with the default standard frequencies.
Study Design
Retrospective study.
Methods
A retrospective analysis was performed using computed tomography (CT) images of patients who received cochlear implants at a tertiary referral center. Patients were excluded if they had any congenital or acquired cochlear anatomical anomalies. The CT images of the patients were uploaded to the surgical planning software. Two independent reviewers allocated the anatomical parameters of the cochlea. The software then used these parameters to calculate the frequency allocation for each electrode according to the type of electrode and the length of the organ of Corti (OC) in each patient. These anatomy‐based frequency allocations were compared with the default frequency settings.
Main Outcome Measure
Frequency‐to‐place mismatch in semitones.
Results
A total of 169 implanted ears in 102 patients were included in this study. The readings of the two reviewers were homogenous, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.98. The mean anatomy‐based frequency allocation was 487.3 ± 202.9 Hz in electrode 1; 9,298.6 ± 490.6 Hz in electrode 12. The anatomy‐based frequency allocations were found to be significantly higher than the frequencies of the default frequencies for each corresponding electrode (one‐sample t‐test, P < .001). The frequency‐to‐place mismatch was negatively correlated with cochlear coverage and positively correlated with the cochlear duct length (Pearson correlation > 0.65, P < .003).
Conclusions
The anatomy‐based frequency allocation of each electrode is significantly different from the default frequency setting. This frequency‐to‐place mismatch was affected mainly by the cochlear coverage.
Level of Evidence
3 Laryngoscope, 132:2224–2231, 2022
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