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Background: One of the basic policy questions to be decided at the inception of medical education institutes is the language of instruction. Aims: This study explored the perspectives of medical faculty and students at a college in Saudi Arabia on the language of instruction in medical education. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of undergraduate medical students and full-time faculty members at a medical college in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was conducted in 2016. Each participant completed a self-administered, validated 28-item questionnaire. Results: The total number of students and faculty who responded were 468 (76%) and 37 (93%) respectively. Most students and faculty members agreed that studying in English enables a better access to medical information (n=457, 91%) and more job opportunities (n=419, 83%). Less than 15% of the students preferred to be taught in Arabic in most of the curriculum aspects except for communication skills (n=131, 28%) and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) (n=119, 26%). Conclusions: Most medical students and faculty members preferred English as the language of instruction for medical education and did not believe that teaching medicine in Arabic should be sought as a future goal.

Background: Knowing the degree of populations' knowledge concerning eye health and the factors that contribute to eye problems can serve to complement many effective eye health care promotion strategies. Aim: the purpose of this study is to evaluate the knowledge regarding common eye diseases and awareness of eye care among the Saudi population and to explore existing eye-related misconceptions and malpractices in the community. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jeddah city, during September and October 2016, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed on the patients and medical staff at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) and on public in Red Sea Mall in Jeddah City. We selected a random sample of 470 participants, with an age range between 20 and 60. All data collected was analyzed using SPSS software version 20.0. Results: Of the 470 surveyed participants, the weighten mean age was 45 years, 47% were male and 53% were female. The majority of participants were aware of refractive errors (90%), cataract (71%), diabetic retinopathy (DR) (62%) and glaucoma (53%), yet only 10% had heard of amblyopia, and 3% of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Most individuals surveyed (81.9%) believed that good vision is vital to overall health. only 32% were aware of smoking risks on visual impairment. Less than 10% had an eye check at least once a year and individuals with higher educational level and better socioeconomic status were associated with higher frequency of eye checks. A lower proportion (46%) of participants reported that they knew that vision loss could be prevented (p<0.001). Nearly half of respondents had identified sunlight and family heritage as risk factors for common eye diseases. Conclusion: The majority of the participants were aware of the common eye diseases. However, our results showed a large gap between public awareness and practices related to vision health. Public health promotion should be designed to address these gaps.

Summary Over the last decade, treatment of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in children has advanced to include thrombopoietin receptor agonist (TPO‐RA) medications. Concurrently, there has been an increased emphasis on patient‐reported outcomes—especially quality of life—to guide treatment. Assessing the impact of TPO‐RAs on quality of life in paediatric ITP is therefore a priority. In this single‐centre integrative mixed‐methods study, a cohort of children with ITP prescribed a TPO‐RA was identified. These children and/or their caregivers were invited to participate in semi‐structured interviews focussed on quality‐of‐life measures. Independently, a retrospective chart review collected ITP‐related data (platelet count, bleeding events) and TPO‐RA data (dosing, side effects). Among the 23 eligible patients, 20 were represented in interviews. On chart review, 11/20 patients responded to TPO‐RA by meeting platelet count criteria of ≥50 × 109/L for six or more weeks in the absence of rescue therapy. In interviews with these children and/or their parents, 19/20 expressed the TPO‐RA had ‘worked’, with 11/20 reporting benefit to mood and 11/20 reporting increased participation in activities/sports. Concerns were raised in interviews about TPO‐RA medication cost (17/20), medication administration (10/20) and potential side effects (10/20). In conclusion, this study suggests that TPO‐RA use in children with ITP improves quality of life.