This study was conducted to assess social media (SM) use, psychological distress, and knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among a sample of the population of Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Multan, Pakistan between April and May 2020. Demographics details, SM use, psychological distress, and KAP on the COVID-19 were investigated. A total of 800 respondents were analyzed out of which 33.5% (n = 268) were women. No gender-wise difference was found in the terms of SM use and duration of SM use. Women were prone to have psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and stress than men in the current COVID-19 pandemic. The mean knowledge score of men was significantly higher compared to women (18.69 ± 4.20 vs. 16.89 ± 3.04, p < 0.001), while the mean score of the attitude and practices on the COVID-19 prevention measures was significantly better in women (p = 0.012 and p < 0.001, respectively). The psychological problems such as anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression scores (p = 0.033) were higher among women than men. The stress score was also higher in women but not significantly higher (p = 0.079). The knowledge was significantly correlated with attitude, anxiety, depression, and stress. The regression analysis showed that the COVID-19-related KAPs are the predictors of psychological suffering of an individual. The female gender was positively associated with anxiety and depression. The SM use was the predictor of the stress. Male respondents had significantly more knowledge of the COVID-19 than female respondents, but women had significantly better attitudes and practiced the COVID-19 prevention measures. Gender is a significant determinant of psychological distress and KAP about the COVID-19. The government has already taken significant steps to limit the spread of the disease; however, much more effort is required to tackle this COVID-19 pandemic.

Background Despite the importance and advantages of family medicine, it has poorly developed in Arab communities when compared to other medical specialties. Therefore, in this study, we aim to investigate the perception of the Saudi population about family medicine and physicians. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was carried out using a self-administered structured online survey tool through the Google Forms platform. The online questionnaire was distributed to all Saudi Arabia’s residents aged more than 15 years. A predesigned questionnaire was used and included items collecting data about participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, awareness/knowledge, and experience/attitudes. Results A total of 6974 valid participants were included in the current study, where the age group 25–35 years (37.1%) and 51.7% of them were females. Out of the included participants, 81.3% (n = 5671) did not report any chronic illnesses, while the other 18.7% (n = 1303) did. The mean awareness and knowledge score for all participants was 9.57 ± 3.39 (out of 20 possible points), while the mean experience and attitude score for all participants was 10.15 ± 2.58 (out of 16 possible points). Patients’ perceptions, whether awareness and knowledge or experience and attitude scores, were significantly correlated (P-value < 0.001) to chronic illness status, being a healthcare worker, job, marital status, and gender factors. Moreover, experience and attitude score was additionally correlated to residence region (P-value = 0.034) and participants’ nationality (P-value< 0.001). Conclusion General population in Saudi Arabia were aware about the importance of family physicians and they trust them. The identified predictors should be considered when trying to increase public awareness and enhance the experience with family physicians.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Many polio cases have been reported in recent years, which strongly affect the Global Polio Eradication Initiative campaign. This study aimed to determine the global trends in polio research during the last fifty years. METHODOLOGY: An online search was conducted utilizing the Web of Science Core Collection database. The key term used was “Polio*" and the retrieved documents were assessed for several attributes. The required graphs were generated using OriginPro 2018. Furthermore, the data were plotted for co-authorship organizations, co-authorship countries, and co-occurrence author keywords network visualization mapping using VOSviewer software for windows. RESULTS: A total of 2,345 publications were included, cited 22,872 times. The year 2017 was the most frequent year with 162 (6.91%) publications. The paper authored by Nomoto and colleagues published in 1977 was the leading paper with 237 citations. In total, Vaccine was the leading journal with 168 (7.16%) publications, followed by Journal of Infectious Diseases 106 (4.52%), and Lancet 77 (3.28%). The included publications were published from 132 countries, of which 44 countries contributed ≥10 publications. The United States of America was the leading country with the highest number of publications (n=740, 31.56%), followed by India (n=215, 9.17%), and England (n=180, 7.68%). CONCLUSION: This study provide researchers and policy makers with a comprehensive list of the key bibliometric characteristics and major contribution in polio research. Majority of the studies were published in developed countries. The developing countries need to make strong research collaborations with developed countries.

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To identify the frequency of misdirected patients in orthopedic outpatient clinics. Methodology This was a retrospective study done in a private hospital of Jeddah. Computer records of patients attending the orthopedic outpatient department (OPD) during the period of 2013-2017 were collected. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY). Descriptive statistics are presented as frequency and percentages. Results Out of the 23435 cases, 6944 (29.6%) cases should not be seen primarily in orthopedic clinic, 13638 (58.2%) were the cases that may or may not be seen primarily in orthopedic clinic, whereas, there were 2853 (12.2%) who must be seen mainly by orthopedic specialist. Conclusion This study revealed that a huge number of patients who visited orthopedic OPD does not need primarily orthopedic consultation. So, it is recommended to direct the patients to the right specialist in outpatient clinics to avoid the unnecessary burden on orthopedic clinics. The triage of referrals or walk-in patients may help to prevent this issue.

AimThis study explored the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effects on overseas Pakistani's residing in various parts of the world, particularly in China, Saudi Arabia (SA), and the United Kingdom (UK).MethodsThis cross-sectional study was completed between November 2020 and April 2021. An online questionnaire was designed and circulated via various social media mediums to overseas Pakistani communities. The obtained data were statistically analyzed through SPSS version 19 for windows. P &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsA total of 542 overseas Pakistani participated in the current study. In total, 157 (29%) were females and 385 (71%) males. There were 174 (32.1%), 142 (26.45%), 117 (21.6%), and 109 (19.85%) participants from the UK, SA, China, and other countries respectively. Some participants, or their family members, 93 (17.2%), got infected with the COVID-19. About one-third, 165 (30.4%), of the respondents were afraid that their company would violate their contracts or lose their jobs or be paid less. The majority, 469 (86.5%), believed that the lockdown is increasing their psychological stress. More than half of the participants, 314 (57.9%), stated that the Pakistani embassy did not facilitate them in their country of stay. About one-third, 194 (35.8%), of the respondents faced visa-related issues. More than one-third of respondents, 221 (40.8%), faced health issues due to lack of physical activities during the lockdown. Males were afraid that their company would violate their contract, lose jobs, or be paid less than females (p &lt; 0.001). Both genders had psychological stress and health issues because of the pandemic. The participants from SA faced more visa-related issues, and they were less satisfied with the efforts of the Pakistani embassy to facilitate them compared to the UK and China participants (p = 0.013).ConclusionOur data indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Pakistanis living in the UK, SA, China, and other parts of the world. They had health-related issues, visa problems and dissatisfaction with Pakistani embassy facilitations. Pakistanis living abroad require government assistance to resolve their issues.

Background:Vitiligo is acquired condition of skin and hair depigmentation that characterized by the appearance of pale macules or hypochromic pigment. Vitiligo is not a life-threatening situation however it affects patients health-related quality of life and psychological well-being. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to prevalence of vitiligo in Saudi population besides, Most common place of first spot of vitiligo, and the relationship between some medical conditions and vitiligo. Methodology: This is an analytical cross-sectional study conducted in kingdom of Saudi Arabia (General population and vitiligo patient) from 04/08/2020 till 22/11/2020. The study was depending on using of online questionnaire assessing demographic factors including age and nationality besides disease-related information: Heart disease, Smoker patient, related risk factors of disease and DM patient. Results: We had received 875 responses of our questionnaire, where the prevalence of vitiligo was 3.5 % where 51.6 % of them were male. Moreover, 51.6 % of them were below 25 years old, 19.4 % were between 25 – 30 years old and 12.9 % were between 31 – 35 years old. Furthermore, most of them were Saudi Arabian (93.5 %).Moreover, most of patients indicated that they were patients with vitiligo for more than 5 years (61.3 %) while the first spot of vitiligo was above eyes (22.6 %), hands (19.4 %), Armpits (12.9 %) and knee (12.9 %) Conclusion:We had found that the prevalence of vitiligo in Saudi Arabia was high than reported by other studies where male are slightly more affected by the diseases and those of younger age. Face and hand are the most common spots of vitiligo. Moreover, smoking, diabetes mellitus and thyroid disorders may have effect in increased incidence of vitiligo.

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