BackgroundA needle stick injury is a serious occupational health hazard in health care settings. Health care workers are at risk of bloodborne diseases and the psychological consequences of these injuries. This study aims to estimate the incidence of needle stick injuries among healthcare workers during the previous 12 months and to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practice toward these injuries.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st August 2019 till 15th February 2020, and included 786 healthcare workers in Abha city, Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data.ResultsThe incidence of needle stick injury among healthcare workers during the previous 12 months was (91/786) 11.57%. Nurses, females, and Saudis reported most needle stick injuries. More than half (52.7%) of the injuries went unreported. About 52.7% of needle stick injuries occurred during using sharp devices, and 42.9% of injuries happened in the patient room. The incidence of needle stick injury was significantly higher among those working at the secondary healthcare level (p = 0.003) and those practicing surgery (p < 0.001). Out of 786 participants, 94.7% knew the definition of needle stick injury, and 81.0% were aware of the procedure and guidelines to follow on sustaining a needle stick injury. Only 61.2% recognized that the recap of the needle is not recommended. Almost half of the participants (47.1%) agreed, and 33.6% strongly agreed that needle stick injury is preventable. A majority of healthcare workers (89.1%) had been vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Nearly 27.5% of healthcare workers incorrectly practiced recapping the needles with two hands and 8.7% bent needles before disposal. Recapping the needles was statistically significantly higher among healthcare workers who had a history of needle stick injury (p = 0. 046).ConclusionNeedle stick injury and its under reporting among healthcare professionals is still a prevalent risk. Raising awareness among healthcare workers and improving the reporting systems for needle stick injuries to ensure more protection and early use of post-exposure prophylaxis is required. Implementation of safety precautions and safe injection practices and providing engineered safety devices may further reduce the risk.

Background: Lynch Syndrome (LS) is a familial cancer condition caused by germline mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes. Individuals with LS have a greatly increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) and it is therefore important to identify mutation carriers so they can undergo regular surveillance. Tumor DNA from LS patients characteristically shows microsatellite instability (MSI). Our aim here was to screen young CRC patients for MSI as a first step in the identification of unrecognized cases of LS in the Saudi population. Materials and Methods: Archival tumor tissue was obtained from 284 CRC patients treated at 4 institutes in Dammam and Riyadh between 2006 and 2015 and aged less than 60 years at diagnosis. MSI screening was performed using the BAT-26 microsatellite marker and positive cases confirmed using the pentaplex MSI analysis system. Positive cases were screened for BRAF mutations to exclude sporadic CRC and were evaluated for loss of expression of 4 DNA mismatch repair proteins using immunohistochemistry. Results: MSI was found in 33/284 (11.6%) cases, of which only one showed a BRAF mutation. Saudi MSI cases showed similar instability in the BAT-26 and BAT-25 markers to Australian MSI cases, but significantly lower frequencies of instability in 3 other microsatellite markers. Conclusions: MSI screening of young Saudi CRC patients reveals that approximately 1 in 9 are candidates for LS. Patients with MSI are strongly recommended to undergo genetic counselling and germline mutation testing for LS. Other affected family members can then be identified and offered regular surveillance for early detection of LS-associated cancers.

No abstract

Background Despite the negative effects of tobacco use, Saudi Arabia is one of the leading causes of death globally. In Saudi Arabia, 17.1% of both sexes and 3.0% of females aged 15 or older smoke. One common way to consume tobacco is through a shisha (waterpipe). This study aims to measure the knowledge of the negative health effects and attitudes toward shisha use among health college students at Princess Nourah University (PNU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Method A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at PNU’s health colleges, with the 525 student participants selected evenly from each college by using cluster sampling into five health colleges(College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Nursing, Dentistry, Medicine and Pharmacy), data was collected by a pretested, structured questionnaire and was coded, entered and analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v.20. Results 15.4% is the percentage for who had a history of smoked shisha. The percentage of current smokers was 4.19%. There was no association between the knowledge and shisha smoking practice ( P = .603). Conclusion In conclusion, the percentage of shisha smoking was high, in spite of having a high level of knowledge. Also, the knowledge toward shisha smoking and shisha practice was not associated. In contrast to a study conducted in USA which showed a slight association between the knowledge and smoking practice. (44)

Background: Health-care organizations all throughout the world are concerned about quality. Patients' satisfaction has been studied at a number of dental clinics throughout the globe. Patient satisfaction is an important factor in assessing the relationship between the quality of health-care services delivered and the patients' confidence. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the study's goal was to find out how satisfied patients were with the quality of dental treatment, as well as the preventative measures and precautions offered at Riyadh Elm University's dentistry clinics. Materials and Methods: During the COVID-19 epidemic, a pre-validated questionnaire was issued to patients visiting Riyadh Elm University clinics. The research took place from March to September 2020. The questionnaire included questions about consultation provision, gratification with the receptionist's performance, satisfaction with your treating healthcare professional, treatment expenses, satisfaction with the level of housekeeping prevention strategies and preemptive provided, and eventually an overall assessment of the clinic's services. Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, 1313 questions were gathered from the Riyadh Elm University dentistry clinic's electronic system. During the pandemic COVID-19, (92%) of the participants agreed that getting an appointment at the dental clinics was straightforward, (88.9%) were satisfied with treatments received at Riyadh Elm University's Dental Clinic during the COVID-19 epidemic, and (66 percent) with treatment costs. During the pandemic COVID-19, the vast majority of participants (91 percent) were satisfied with their treatment provider, and the vast majority of participants were satisfied with the services offered by Riyadh Elm University's dentistry clinic. Conclusions: Riyadh Elm University's dentistry clinics were successful in achieving participant satisfaction with services, staff, treatment, and fees during the COVID-19 outbreak.