Background: The Internet is being increasingly used in our lives. Along with Internet use, social media sites are especially popular and are used by many people on a daily basis. Many studies were conducted to see the people's perception and their attitude towards the use of the Internet for health information. Such studies were also carried out in Saudi Arabia, but most have been limited to a specific target sample of the population. Our study aimed to assess the perception towards and use of different platforms and search engines to seek health information in Saudi Arabia. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia during the year 2021. An Arabic online questionnaire using Google forms was sent to a randomized sample. Microsoft Excel 2016 was used for data entry, and statistical analysis was performed using IBM© SPSS© Statistics version 25 (IBM© Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).Result: Among the 1363 participants, 56.2% were females and 43.8% were males with a mean age of 30.73 ± 12.3. The majority were living in Western region. The most used social media platforms were WhatsApp (91.5%), YouTube (84.6%), and Twitter (82.6%), respectively. The most common medical websites browsed were the Saudi Ministry of Health (67%) and the Food and Drug Administration (54.4%). Some 40.1% of the participants had a medical consultation online from a doctor, and most of them (67.8%) trusted the online physician. Finally, most of the participants (90.9%) thought that health information on the Internet or social media contributes to raising the level of health awareness among the general population. There was a significant relationship between educational level and gender and online health-seeking behavior (p > 0.05). Conclusion:The study reinforced that health information that is sought from the Internet and social media platforms has a great impact on the population, emphasizing the need for credible information sources and how to access them.
Background Refractive errors are the most common vision problem and prove to be a significant health issue. There are several methods for correction of refractive errors including spectacles, contact lenses and refractive surgery. Nowadays, the reliance on contact lenses and glasses is decreased by means of refractive eye surgery. Our study aimed to determine the awareness of refractive surgery among undergraduate medical students and their preferred method of refractive error correction. Method This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted among a sample size of 374 medical students at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in June–August 2020. Data were collected through a questionnaire which consisted of 20 questions to assess the demographics, awareness about refractive surgery and preferred method of correction. The data were entered using Microsoft Excel 2016 and analyzed by SPSS version 21. Results Our results showed that 177 of participants had refractive errors. Most participants complained of myopia (66.7%) and the most preferred correction method was spectacles (45.8%). Among users of spectacles, 53.7% found the spectacles comfortable due to ease of use. Majority of the students (92.1%) were aware of refractive surgery and 73% of them were willing to undergo refractive surgery. Many obtained their information regarding these procedures from family and friends (55.1%). The remaining refused to undergo surgery and the primary reason was fear of the complications of the procedure (14.1%). Conclusion Though corrective refractive surgery is a commonly performed procedure, extensive knowledge regarding this correction method and its complications is poor among medical students. The results showed that the majority have heard of refractive surgery, however, fear of undergoing surgery was still present. We suggest that refractive error correction surgery be taught by physicians during Ophthalmology rotations so that knowledge may be gained from more reliable sources.
Aims: Our study aimed to identify whether anesthesiology is a desired specialty among medical students at King Abdulaziz University and what factors may have influenced or hindered their decision. Study Design: Cross‑sectional study. Study Setting: At King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between June 8th, 2019 till June 25th, 2019. Methodology: An online questionnaire was distributed to all 700 5th and 6th year medical students at King Abdulaziz University Hospital and they were asked to fill it anonymously. Pre-clinical medical students (2nd, 3rd and 4th years) were excluded due to their lack of exposure to the field of anesthesiology. The estimated sample size was a random 248 medical students of KAUH. Results: Our results showed that the most preferred specialties were Internal medicine (37.9%), followed by surgery (35.5%), then family medicine (27%). While the field of anesthesiology was chosen by 14.5% of the participants. However, in response to a separate question, 79.8% of the respondents have not considered it as their future career. Many considered Doctor-patient relationship to have the greatest influence (81.7%), followed by controllable lifestyle (80%), while income 71% and prestige 63.2% were less influential factors for those career decisions. Conclusion: It is essential to show medical students that anesthesiologists do interact with patients and increase their interaction with influential individuals in this field since they are capable of positively adjusting their viewpoints.
Background Normal optic nerve diameter (OND) and optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) may be beneficial for describing optic nerve pathway abnormality reflecting increased intracranial pressure. Nonetheless, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurement of the normal ONSD range and its associations with clinical factors and eyeball transverse diameter (ETD) are not well established in children. Purpose To establish normal OND, ONSD, ETD, and OND/ONSD and ONSD/ETD measurements in children and their associations with age and sex. Material and Methods We evaluated and analyzed 336 brain MRI studies of children aged 0.5 months to 18 years. We measured a total of 672 optic nerves. The OND and ONSD were measured 1 cm anterior to the optic foramina and 3 mm behind the optic disc on an axial T2 sequence. Results The mean OND 3 mm and 1 cm, ONSD 3 mm and 1 cm, and ETD were 0.23 ± 0.05 mm and 0.16 ± 0.04 mm, 0.53 ± 0.08 mm and 0.38 ± 0.06 mm, and 2.3 ± 0.13, respectively. Only ONSD 1 cm was independent of age ( P = 0.247). ONSD 3 mm and ETD were significantly wider in boys compared to girls and significantly influenced by age (both P < 0.001). Age at scan and ETD were significantly correlated ( P < 0.001). Conclusion We established MRI-based OND, ONSD, ETD, and ONSD/ETD and OND/ONSD ratio normative values in children, which can be helpful in pediatric populations with disease.
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