Occupational Therapy Education in Saudi Arabia: Barriers and Solutions From a Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Abstract

Occupational therapy (OT) is an important healthcare profession in Saudi Arabia (SA). Yet, no studies have explored the status of OT education in SA. The current study aims to investigate the status of OT education in SA, as well as the barriers and solutions. MethodsA cross-sectional-based survey was conducted. Institutions that offered OT programs were identified and an electronic survey was sent to OT program directors across SA that agreed to participate. The survey included items that focused on the number of students in programs, current faculty members, and their characteristics, as well as barriers and solutions to advancing the OT profession and education in SA. ResultsOut of 74 institutions, eight offered OT programs and all responded to the survey. Among all programs, one was inactive, seven (87.5%) were governmental institutions, and none were nationally accredited. There was a total of 538 currently enrolled students and 76 full-time faculty members. There are no current OT postgraduate programs. Staff shortages and ineffective communication between institutions (87.5%), financial barriers, and lack of knowledge/awareness of the OT profession (75%) were the most common barriers reported. ConclusionOT education is growing in SA but is still not well-represented throughout the different regions of the country. Initiatives to advance the profession are urgently needed by establishing new OT programs and departments as well as introducing OT to more diverse scopes of practice and in more clinical settings. Further research exploring OT education including curriculum content, teaching methods, and assessment strategies of OT programs. Addressing the barriers identified in the current study and methods to overcome them is needed.

How artificial intelligence can provide information about subdural hematoma: Assessment of readability, reliability, and quality of ChatGPT, BARD, and perplexity responses

“…Low-medium quality DISCERN and JAMA scores and difficult readability have been reported in studies on different subjects, similar to our study. [35,38–41] However, in our study, among the artificial intelligence chat robots, perplexity especially attracts attention with its high DISCERN and JAMA scores. The fact that the answers of this artificial intelligence chatbot contain references has caused its DISCERN and JAMA scores to be high.…”

“…Researchers also specifically stated that 11.5% of the 104 questions asked to ChatGPT were answered incorrectly. [34] Golan et al [35] assessed the quality of online content on shock wave therapy for erectile dysfunction, and found that ChatGPT’s performance in assessing the quality of text content was inadequate and was not consistent with standards set by human evaluators and reliable tools. [35] Momenaei et al [36] evaluated the relevance and readability of the medical information provided by ChatGPT-4 regarding common vitreoretinal surgeries for retinal detachments (RDs), macular holes (MHs), and epiretinal membranes (ERMs).…”

“…[34] Golan et al [35] assessed the quality of online content on shock wave therapy for erectile dysfunction, and found that ChatGPT’s performance in assessing the quality of text content was inadequate and was not consistent with standards set by human evaluators and reliable tools. [35] Momenaei et al [36] evaluated the relevance and readability of the medical information provided by ChatGPT-4 regarding common vitreoretinal surgeries for retinal detachments (RDs), macular holes (MHs), and epiretinal membranes (ERMs). They noted that the mean Flesch Kincaid Grade Level and Flesch Reading Ease Score were 14.1 ± 2.6 and 32.3 ± 10.8 for RD, 14 ± 1.3 and 34.4 ± 7 for MD, 14.8 ± 1.3 and 28.1 ± 7.5 for ERM.…”

“…[35–40] In these studies, it is particularly emphasized that the readability values of the information provided by artificial intelligence are above the recommended sixth grade level. [35–40] As a limitation, the artificial intelligence chat robot is not asked to organize its answers in accordance with a certain grade level. However, a fairly recent study evaluated “original” and “simplified” responses.…”

Editorial Comment

“…2 However, ChatGPT scored poorly when compared to human reviewers using the DISCERN tool in identifying poor-quality information regarding shock wave therapy for erectile dysfunction. 3…”