The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of life in children and adolescents aged 7-18 years with inflammatory bowel disease and identify the factors that influence it. Patients and Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional study in which participants were recruited from 3 governmental hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A total of 61 children with inflammatory bowel disease were approached, 44 participants were included according to their age (7-18 years), disease duration of at least 6 months, and without any other co-morbidities. A translated Arabic version of the IMPACT-III questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life of the participants with inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, disease-specific indices were used to measure their disease activity; Harvey Bradshaw for patients with Crohn's disease and Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index for ulcerative colitis patients. Results:The mean age of the 44 participants was 13.36 ± 2.85. Crohn's disease accounted for 56.8% of the sample, while 36.4% had ulcerative colitis and 6.8% had unclassified type. The majority were males and in disease remission. The mean total score of the questionnaire was 74.10 ± 12.21, where the domain of social functioning scored the highest and the domain of emotional functioning scored the lowest. Children who are 11 years or older scored significantly higher in emotional functioning and total mean scores. Statistical significance was also observed between the well-being domain and not having flare-ups in the past year, as well as disease severity with emotional functioning, body image, and total mean scores. It was found that corticosteroid utilization is a predictor of poorer quality of life and was statistically significant with the body image domain. Conclusion:Measuring the quality of life in children with inflammatory bowel disease can aid in reducing its burden and help address its factors.

Background and Objective. The rapid emergence and evolution of digital technology have greatly improved the quality and accessibility of healthcare services worldwide. Nonetheless, the literature is scarce regarding the ethical and legal aspects of telemedicine and social media (SM) use in healthcare. Thus, this paper examines physicians’ perceptions about the use of telemedicine in patient care, their awareness of guidelines for health-related use of telemedicine, and their knowledge, attitude, and practice of the ethical and legal regulations governing the use of telemedicine in the healthcare context. Methods. This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted among physicians working at the College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), and its affiliated academic tertiary hospital, King Fahad Hospital of the University (KFHU), Eastern province-KSA. Data were collected between August 2019 and March 2020 via a structured, pretested, self-administered questionnaire distributed to 220 eligible physicians at KFHU. A final sample of 101 physicians completed our survey. Collected data was coded and analysed using SPSS, and the results presented as frequencies, percentages, and summary statistics. Results. Among our respondents, 62 (61.4%) were males, 46 (45.5%) were in the age group of 35 to 44 years, and 62 (61.3%) were Saudi. Two-thirds of physicians (58 (57.4%)) use smart devices in healthcare delivery, and 51 (50.5%) are satisfied with this use. A minority (21 (20.8%)) knew about telemedicine guidelines, 8 (7.9%) had encountered legal issues related to telemedicine use, and 52 (51.5%) were doubtful about patients’ readiness for virtual care. Regarding physicians’ awareness of the ethical aspects regulating the use of social media and medical apps in patient care, only 44 (45.3%) were aware of the proper reporting system if they found accounts sharing unreliable information. Nevertheless, the majority (91 (92.9%)) agreed it is essential for healthcare providers to report such accounts. Concerning physicians’ awareness of the rules and regulations of online self-promotion, the majority of our respondents were unsure or unaware of such regulations (46 (45.6%) and 18 (17.8%)), respectively. Nonetheless, 67 (66.3%) of the physicians would not pay SM influencers to advertise for them. Conclusion. Two-thirds of our physicians use smart devices in healthcare delivery, with 1 in 13 having encountered related legal issues. Nonetheless, only a minority was aware of telemedicine use regulating guidelines, including physicians’ online self-promotion regulations. These results highlight the necessity of targeted physicians’ training on telemedicine use related guidelines, thereby ensuring the safety of both patients and healthcare professionals and the optimum utilization of online health-related interactions.