Majority of the patients had heard about MERS and was aware of the infection control measures. However, some patients were apprehensive about undergoing dental treatment because of MERS. Further steps need to be taken to educate the patient's about transmission of MERS and infection control measures in a dental hospital.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESInteraction between physicians and pharmaceutical sales representative (PR) is a major component of the promotional activities by pharmaceutical companies. The lack of studies examining the magnitude of this interaction in Saudi Arabia is evident. The objective of this study is to estimate the magnitude and associated characteristics of physician-PR interaction.DESIGN AND SETTINGSA cross-sectional study was conducted among physicians working in the different regions of Saudi Arabia between March and July of 2012.METHODSA cross-sectional study was undertaken between March and July of 2012 in the different regions of Saudi Arabia. A self-administrated questionnaire was developed and handed to all participants, both in paper and electronic formats.RESULTSA total of 663 participants completed the questionnaire. The participation rate was 66.3% (663/1000). The majority of the participants (72.9%) reported interaction with PRs. This was lower among residents/interns compared to higher ranking employees (55.6% vs 83.6%, P<.001). Approximately half (48.3%) of the interactions occurred at a rate of more than once a month. A majority of the participants (72.1%) occasionally accepted gifts such as stationery (57%), drug samples (54%), meals (38%), and sponsorship of educational activities (30%). The following characteristics were independently associated with physician-PR interaction: non-Saudi nationals, a higher monthly income, Western medical education, working in a private hospital, being a specialist or registrar (rather than resident or intern), working on certain specialties (such as psychiatry and family medicine), and having limited number of patients with high socioeconomic status.CONCLUSIONAlthough lower than seen in many parts of the world, a high prevalence of physician-PR interaction in Saudi hospitals is reported. Delineating associated characteristics may assist with future interventions. Further research should focus on ethical, clinical, prescription, and economic impact of interaction as well as determining the best strategy to reduce negative impact.

Background This is the first descriptive and comparative study conducted of COVID-19 inpatients from multi-centers in the four administrative southern regions and proposed Southern Business Unit (Jazan, Najran, Bisha, and Aseer) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods Participants were 809 randomly selected patients admitted to the eight sampled hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2021. We assessed and compared socio-demographics, clinical characteristics, and clinical outcomes of the four regions. Results Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants are a mean age of 60 ± 17.7 years, 70% Saudi male, the prevalence of diabetes (DM2) 58%, hypertension (HTN) 48%, obesity 43%, cardiac diseases 15%, and immunity or cancer diseases almost 1%. The prevalence of complications during admission were bacterial pneumonia 65%, acquired respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) 32%, sepsis 20%, multi-organ failure 18%, acute kidney diseases 15%, and arrhythmia 4%. Clinical outcomes were: admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) 52%, mortality rate 25%, referred to other facilities 9%, and mean length of stay (LOS) was 11± 9.5 days. We observed statistically significant variation in many variables among the four regions. Najran and Aseer had a higher prevalence of risk factors for severity including age and comorbidities accompanied by higher rates of complications, ICU admissions, LOS, and mortality. Bisha and Jazan had lower prevalence of risk factors and LOS with lower rates of complications, ICU admissions, and mortality. Conclusion This study reveals that the geographic region in which the patient was cared for was related to the severity and outcome of COVID-19 infection. Policy makers should search for solutions to regional differences in underlying health conditions such as DM2, HTN, and obesity to plan for improvements in preventive care as well as resource distribution to ensure quality for all Saudi citizens. This study will serve as guidance to begin to form strategies for these improvements as envisioned in the future New Model of Care.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune multisystem chronic disease where the body mistakenly fights itself with wide and variable clinical presentations that affect several organs in the body, including the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, and heart. The awareness of the clinical manifestation of SLE is necessary to prevent the delay in making a diagnosis. The present study aims to evaluate the level of awareness of SLE in pediatric patients in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated self-administered questionnaire distributed among parents via an online platform. Questionnaire data were tabulated and coded in MS Excel, and all statistical analyses were carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Results: A total of 596 parents were enrolled. The most common age group was 44-52, with females dominating males (78.2% vs. 21.8%). SLE awareness among parents was found to be poor (78.7%). Poor awareness level was prevalent in women than men. Still, the greater awareness was more common among highly educated parents, among those with disease-oriented through online, and those who received disease information from their friends or relatives. Conclusion: SLE awareness among parents in this study was unsatisfactory. To conclude, healthcare providers should provide more education to parents regarding the management and treatment of SLE in pediatric age groups.

Induced abortion is an ethically charged issue that has been continuously discussed in the ethics literature. There are many ethical issues and cultural views and laws related to induced-abortion. In this article, I discuss an Islamic perspective on induced abortion using an actual case that I encountered as a family physician. I first present the case, provide an overview on the sociocultural context of the case, and finally present an overview of an Islamic approach to the presented case. My emphasis is on how family physicians can ethically approach such cases.