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BackgroundTo assess the prevalence of burnout symptoms among preclinical and clinical medical students studying at AlFaisal University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire on 276 medical students from Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study was approved by Alfaisal University research ethics committee. Chi-square test was used to identify statistically significant differences, and binary logistic regression was used to identify predictors of burnout.Results276 entered into final data analysis with a mean age 20.62 ± 1.58, of whom 54% were males, and 46% were females. The overall burnout prevalence was 13.4%, of which PA was the most prevalent domain of burnout with 64.9%. Female gender was a significant predictor of EE and DP [OR = 4.34; 95% Cl 1.86–10.13; P-value 0.001] and [OR = 2.01; 95% Cl 1.07–3.79; P-value 0.030] respectively as per multivariate analysis for demographic characteristics. Regarding the total level of burnout, females (75.7%) had significantly higher levels of burnout compared to males (41.4%); (P-value < 0.001).ConclusionBurnout is prevalent among medical student. Gender was found to exhibits effect on the burnout. Mutual proactive strategies and reactive coping mechanisms between the students and the universities are encouraged to prevent and reduce burnout among medical students.

BackgroundCommunity pharmacists play a significant role in patient health care in Saudi Arabia and are directly responsible for medication-related counseling. Aim To assess Saudi Adults satisfaction with community pharmacy services and the secondary objective is obtaining an insight of their needs in patient counseling service.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey was conducted via a questionnaire distributed to a representative sample of 650 Saudi adults approached at pharmacists and public places in areas of Riyadh during March 2014.Results500 Complete questionnaires were collected, and the response rate was 77 %. Around 41 % were satisfied with Saudi pharmacy services. Out of these, 57 % attributed their satisfaction to pharmacist counseling on current medication, 96 % to appropriate dosage regimen explanation and 73 % to appropriate time spent in counseling (p < 0.001). When asked about reasons for dissatisfaction, 82 % of the unsatisfied group stated that pharmacists fail to ask about comorbid diseases and 78 % reported unavailability of dedicated pharmacist for patient counseling (p < 0.001).ConclusionSaudi adults have variable levels of satisfaction with community pharmacy services. To increase levels of satisfaction, it is necessary to provide adequate pharmacist training in community pharmacies.

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Background: Saudi Arabia doubled its tobacco tax in June 2017. Aims: To examine the association between an increase in tobacco prices and consumption behaviour among current male smokers in Riyadh. Methods: We conducted a community-based study using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to current male smokers aged 15+ years in Riyadh in 2018. The survey included questions on sociodemographic characteristics, tobacco consumption and self-reported chronic health conditions. Results: A total of 1481 participants were included in the final data analysis. After the tobacco tax was doubled, 25.6% of the participants reduced their cigarette consumption and 1.0% quit smoking. The average daily cigarette consumption after enforcing the tobacco tax [19.77, standard deviation (SD) 10.7], was statistically significantly lower than before taxation (21.19, SD 10.8) (P < 0.0001). The calculated price elasticity of demand was −0.20 (inelastic). Employment status (P = 0.002) and per capita gross domestic product purchasing power parity (P = 0.001) were the only statistically significant factors associated with the change in smoking habits. Conclusions: Increasing tobacco prices reduced tobacco consumption by 26.6% among Saudi Arabian male smokers