BACKGROUND Although burn-related injuries are serious and can cause significant morbidity and mortality, this can be alleviated through the appropriate practice of first aid for burns. We aimed to explore the practice of first aid and measure the level of knowledge of burns and burn-related nutrition in Saudi Arabia. Methods Data were collected using an online questionnaire, distributed among the general Saudi population between Jul and Sep 2020. It included socioeconomic and biographical data, and knowledge and practice of first aid for burns and burn-related nutrition. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results Overall, 2437 people were enrolled in this study, of which 59.5% were female. More than half (51.9%) the subjects were between 19 and 25 yr of age. Younger age group (≤25 yr) showed a significantly better practices score (t=4.844; P <0.001). Females exhibited a significantly better knowledge score than males ( t =-3.131; P =0.021). Unemployed respondents were significantly more associated with a lower knowledge score ( t =4.796; P =0.007) and a lower practices score ( t =18.375; P <0.001) while those with a history of exposure to burn injury had a lower knowledge score ( t =-4.816; P <0.001) and a lower practices score ( t =-3.237; P =0.001). Conclusion There is a lack of knowledge and practice of burn’s first aid and burn-related nutrition. Thus, courses and training in first aid for burns and awareness campaigns are essential in order to improve the knowledge of the general Saudi population.

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Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is among the prevalent chronic diseases in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. To our knowledge, there is no published research that reports the reasons for hospitalization in the Eastern Province of the country. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this gap.Design and methods: This is a retrospective cohort study that was conducted in the period from January 2018 to December 2019. Patients with sickle cell disease who were admitted and treated in the hospital were included in this study. Patients' sociodemographic data and reasons for hospitalization were collected and analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences, version 21 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA).Results: There were 103 SCD patients, and the age range was from 18 to 62 years old. The majority of the patients were males (56.3%) and were in the younger age group (≤30 years old; 60.2%). The results showed that the most frequent cause of admission was a vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) (n=94, 91.3%), followed by acute chest syndrome (ACS) (n=32, 31.1%), and then by hemolytic crisis (27 of the cases; 26.2%). However, we found that a higher number of hip avascular necrosis (AVN) cases were statistically significant in relation to the higher number of hospital admissions (p<0.05), whereas other reasons were not found to have a statistically significant association. Conclusion:The most frequent cause of admission was VOC episodes, followed by ACS, and then by hemolytic crises. Also, a higher number of hip AVN episodes were statistically significant with the higher number of hospital admissions.

Objectives: The wide variety of operations that a plastic surgeon can deal with creates confusion regarding its proper scope. This confusion was observed in primary physicians as well as medical students. Increasing the perception of medical students toward plastic surgery can aid in career decision-making and early referral patterns. The aim of this study is to gauge a holistic overview of how medical students and interns perceive the plastic and aesthetic surgical specialty in King Faisal University and to suggest a recommended plan. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed equally to male and female medical students and interns in a local medical institute. The questionnaire constituted three sections; the first included the biographical data. The second is concerned with the different case scenarios and specialties to be chosen. The third is concerned with the previous clinical exposures. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 21. Between comparison, chi-square tests, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were applied. Normality tests were conducted using the Shapiro–Wilk’s test. Results: Two hundred ninety-two students and interns have participated and completed the questionnaire. There were 189 males and 103 females. Plastic surgery was most commonly chosen in the following case scenarios; burn of the hand (74%), broken nose (64.7%), and cosmetic nose reshaping (80.8%). However, plastic surgery was infrequently chosen (selected by <30% of students) in many areas of hands and peripheral neuropathies (severed finger extensor tendon (26.4%), fractured scaphoid (12.7%), carpal tunnel syndrome (14.4%), brachial plexus injury (16.1%)). The most common source of information was the social media, and the least one is meeting with doctors and professors. Conclusion: Medical students and interns lack a full view of plastic and reconstructive surgery, especially in hand and peripheral neuropathies. Improving the education of medical students and interns is recommended and needed.

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