Background: Online health information seeking is prevalent among patients nowadays and this might influence the medical consultation outcome and affect the patient-doctor relationship. Objective was to determine the prevalence of online health information seeking behavior among primary care clinics attendees in Bahrain and the impact on patient-doctor relationship.Methods: Patients attending primary care clinics in Bahrain were asked to complete a previously adapted self-administered questionnaire that studied demographical data, frequency of online use in general and for health-related information and pattern of online health information seeking including reasons searched for and sources used. The logistic regression analysis done to explore respondent’s characteristics with health seeking behavior online.Results: Ninety-seven percent (97%) of the study population used the internet and (94.7%) had searched for online health information. The two main types of information sought were disease-related information (88.7%) and complementary and alternative medicine (55%). Fifty-three percent used reliable sources (i.e., Ministry of Health (43.3%), hospital websites (14.9%), medical encyclopedias (e.g., PubMed and Medline plus) (17.4%).  Approximately (39.3%) use social networks to find information (including Facebook and Twitter). Convenience and usability were the main reasons (88.9%). Fifty-five percent (55%) asked or shared health information they found online with their doctor.Conclusions: Online health information seeking is highly prevalent in Bahrain among primary care clinic attendees. Sources were chosen mainly for their convenience, availability and being easily understood. A good number shared health information found online with their physicians. Physicians should be aware about patients’ online health seeking behavior and address that during consultation.

Objectives Hemoglobinopathies are the commonest inherited blood disorders and form a serious burden worldwide, affecting communities, patient quality of life and healthcare resources. The Kingdom of Bahrain has issued a law obligating couples to undergo premarital screening to detect those at risk of having children affected with these disorders. The aim of this study was to analyze the marital decisions of couples at risk for hemoglobinopathies and follow up the outcomes. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on couples at risk for hemoglobinopathies identified during the premarital screening program at local health centers in the Kingdom of Bahrain and referred to the genetics department in the Salmaniya Medical Complex for genetic counselling in 2018–2020. Results A total of 189 couples were found to be at risk for hemoglobinopathies, of whom 159 completed the survey. Of these, 107 (67%) decided to proceed with their marriage and 26 couples achieved pregnancy. Out of 24 at-risk pregnancies with known outcome, 83.3% were spontaneous whereas only 16.7% underwent in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Eight out of 20 infants born to couples after spontaneous conception were affected. A positive attitude toward IVF with PGD was held by 60% of at-risk couples. Conclusions Despite undergoing premarital screening and genetic counselling, a large percentage of at-risk couples proceeded with their marriage. Most of them justified their decision due to the availability of advanced methods that aid in the prevention of having an affected child. However, the cost of such intervention was a major barrier for the majority of couples.

Background: Understanding the health-seeking behaviors help in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the health-care system; however, there is lack of knowledge regarding the health-seeking behavior of the elderly population in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the morbidity profile and determine the health-seeking behavior of the elderly population. Methods: This cross-sectional study included all elderly patients (≥60 years) who attended four primary health-care centers that represent four governorates with the largest catchment area in the Kingdom of Bahrain between June 19 and August 31, 2021. Information concerning their sociodemographic data, morbidity profile and health-seeking behavior were collected through direct interviewing using a structured, predesigned and pretested questionnaire. Results: A total of 414 elderly patients were included, with the majority being Bahraini (89.1%) and male (55%). The most prevalent morbidity was hypertension (67.6%), followed by hyperlipidemia (54.7%), diabetes (52.6%), and arthritis (32.1%); arthritis was significantly more common among females than males ( P < 0.001). The majority reported the reason for their visit being “repeat prescription” (32.1%). Almost one-third (28.2%) attempted self-management prior to their visit, and almost half (46.7%) reported seeking non-professional medical advice. The majority rated their health as good (39.4%) and moderate (38.2%). Less than one-third (28%) reported having had a health problem for which they did not attend to a health care facility. Conclusion: The study highlighted the morbidity profile and the health-seeking behavior among elderly population in Bahrain, which may serve as a point from which further efforts may be directed to improve the services.