Introduction: Nursing students experience higher levels of stress than those in other health-related disciplines; however, there are limited data exploring stress among these students in a Saudi context. Aim: This study examines sources of stress among nursing students at an academic institution in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional research design. Methods: Data were collected from a convenience sample of 500 undergraduate nursing students, with a response rate of 71.8%, using an adapted Stress in Nursing Students (SINS) questionnaire. Results: Nursing student sources of stress fell into three categories: academic concerns, clinical practice, and social factors. Discussion: The results demonstrate commonality between other countries’ sources of stress for nursing students but highlight cultural factors unique to Saudi Arabia. This study shows opportunities for cross-cultural learning and areas needing cultural tailoring to reduce stress among nursing students.

IntroductionDiabetes is one of the most common endocrine diseases worldwide. Type 2 diabetes and depression are commonly comorbid, high-prevalence, chronic disorders. Individuals with diabetes mellitus may have concurrent mental health disorders and are shown to have poorer disease outcomes. However, the evidence for clinical correlation is still unclear. ObjectivesTo find the prevalence of depression among patients with type 2 diabetes at King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC). Materials and methodsA cross-sectional observational study was conducted at KAMC in Makkah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Study participants were 267 people with type 2 diabetes (aged between 18-70 years). Those who had preexisting depression or drank alcohol, pregnant women, and postpartum women were excluded from the study. Participants' clinical and demographic data and depression assessment were obtained on phone through an interview and using the Arabic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), respectively. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test results of participants were collected electronically. ResultsThe participants' mean age was 57.88 ± 8.71 years, and 64.4% were males. Only 15.4% were current smokers and 16.9% were ex-smokers. The most common medical condition was hypertension (65.2%) and the majority (92.1%) had uncontrolled HbA1c with a mean value of 8.37 ± 1.92. Among the studied patients, 73% suffered from different degrees of depression; 36%, 19.9%, 8.6%, 5.2%, and 3.4% of the participants were suffering from minimal, mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression, respectively. Only neuropathy was a significant risk factor of depression (odds ratio=2.87, 95% confidence interval=1.18-6.97, p=0.02). ConclusionDepressive symptoms are common in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes who also suffer from neuropathy and retinopathy. Hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and unhealthy diet had a significant correlation with depression.

Introduction We aim to study if there is an association between blood transfusions and the development and severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We also aim to explore the association with other clinical outcomes. Methods A cohort of 291 infants admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was retrospectively analyzed. The number and volume of RBC transfusions on Day 7 and Day 30 were recorded. Clinical outcomes including ROP, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and sepsis were noted. Results The mean gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) of the evaluated infants were 28 ± 2.2 weeks and 1062 ± 242 g, respectively. One hundred and eighteen infants were transfused at a median of nine days post GA. Compared to non-transfused infants, those who were transfused had a lower GA, a lower BW, a longer stay in the NICU, and received significantly more artificial ventilation. These infants also had a higher number of comorbidities, including sepsis and intraventricular hemorrhage. The number and volume of RBCs at Day 30 were significantly higher in infants with any stage of ROP than in those without ROP. Conclusion A higher frequency and volume of RBC transfusion were associated with an increased risk of ROP development. Whether this is a direct consequence of blood transfusion or the infants being at risk due to prematurity or low BW remains to be determined.

No abstract

Background: The characteristics of premature infants vary from country to country rendering it challenging to apply retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening algorithm globally. The screening criteria for postnatal growth and ROP (G-ROP) for preterm infants are known to be beneficial, but it is not clear whether these criteria can be used universally. Aim: The aim of this study is to validate the accuracy of the G-ROP criteria in screening preterm infants in Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 300 premature infants (mean gestational age [GA], 28.72 ± 2.2 weeks; range, 21–36 weeks) at a referral center who were screened for ROP between 2015 and 2021. The inclusion criteria were the availability of data on ROP outcome and body weight up until day 40 after birth. The G-ROP 1 and G-ROP 2 models were examined for their ability and accuracy in identifying infants with any stage ROP and treatable ROP. Results: The G-ROP 1 and G-ROP 2 models identified 233 and 255 infants for screening, respectively. The sensitivity of G-ROP 1 and G-ROP 2 for detecting treated ROP was 96.7% and 100%, respectively, and the specificity for detecting treatable ROP was 24.4% and 16.7%, respectively. Incorporation of the G-ROP 2 model, which did not miss any infant with type 1 ROP, would have reduced the number of screened infants by 15%. Conclusion: G-ROP 2 was more sensitive than G-ROP 1 for identifying infants who required treatment and could potentially reduce the burden of ROP screening.