Background Several studies reported that Inter-professional Education (IPE) plays a major role in creating an effective collaborating environment in healthcare settings to achieve high-quality patient care. This study measured the College of Applied Medical Sciences (CAMS) students’ readiness for and perceptions of IPE. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 232 undergraduate students in Riyadh, using a stratified random sampling method. All the undergraduate students of CAMS were included. Two previously validated questionnaires, the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS) and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) were used in the study. Results The mean score for the RIPLS was 86.8. The Tukey post-hoc test score was significantly higher comparing the Occupational Therapy and the Respiratory Therapy programs. There was no difference between the overall RIPLS and subscales between male and female students as well as senior and junior students. For the IEPS, the mean score was 77.7. The Tukey post-hoc test score was significantly higher in the Occupational Therapy and Respiratory Therapy programs. Conclusion The current study indicated that the Applied Medical Sciences’ students demonstrated readiness for IPE as an important element in creating collaborative teamwork in their programs. The early incorporation of IPE in the pre-professional years will enhance collaboration in management and patient care.

Background: Respiratory therapists (RTs) provide various types of patient care in different clinical settings. Burnout can have an undesirable effect on RTs and their patients. Managing the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in hospitals, could induce stress in RTs and increase the likelihood of burnout. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the level of burnout among RTs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A validated cross-sectional questionnaire was used to identify the prevalence and characteristics of burnout among RTs. The questionnaire was administered by the respiratory care department of a tertiary healthcare center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The data analysis included descriptive, inferential, and correlational tests. Results: The survey was distributed among 100 RTs with a response rate of 66%. Most respondents reported high burnout levels in the three domains of burnout: 77% reported emotional exhaustion, 98% reported depersonalization, and 73% reported low personal achievement. Univariate analysis revealed that emotional exhaustion was significantly higher among RTs who were male, married, or working in critical care settings. Female RTs and those working in general care settings reported feelings of reduced personal achievement. Furthermore, the analysis revealed a moderate positive correlation between the years of experience and emotional exhaustion (r=0.6, p<0.001). Conclusions: A high prevalence of burnout was observed among RTs in one Saudi tertiary hospital. Burnout is associated with several factors, and interventions should target all domains of burnout. RT management and staff are responsible for addressing their needs and collaboratively working together to overcome burnout. Further investigations focusing on techniques and strategies to alleviate burnout are required.

Background: Asthma and rhinosinusitis share the same pathophysiological mechanism and often occur together. The root cause of chronic rhinosinusitis is still a challenge to cure, but its clinical symptoms can be improved by symptomatic treatment, which are also considered asthma symptom relievers. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of asthma with rhinosinusitis among adult and pediatric patients in Saudi Arabia as there have been limited studies that assessed this objective. Methods: This study is a retrospective cross-sectional study. The data was collected from a selected hospital from 2016 to 2019. The inclusion criteria were patients with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma and rhinosinusitis aged 18 years and older Results: The prevalence of rhinosinusitis among asthma patients was 0.30% in a total of 1,688 asthmatic patients, and 1683 patients had asthma without rhinosinusitis (99.7%). Females accounted for 67.7% of the patients, while males were accounted for 32.3%. Most of the asthma patients (56%) were 60 years old or older, and 44% were aged between 18 and 59 years old. Asthma patients with a past medical history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) accounted for 2.3% of the patients. Moreover, 1.9% of the asthma patients had bronchiectasis. The majority of the asthma patients (79%) had an unknown allergic status, while 21% had allergies. The smoking status variable revealed that 3.1% of the asthma patients were smokers Conclusion: The prevalence of rhinosinusitis among asthma patients was considered low.