Medical research in war-torn Syria: medical students' perspective

Saadi, Tareq Al; Abbas, Fatima; Turk, Tarek; Al‐Khatib, Mahmoud A.; Hanafi, Ibrahem; Alahdab, Fares

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(18)31207-8

Cited by 21 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Table 3 (Kassem 2016). Two papers are experiences of medical students in con ict-ravaged Syria, one publication reporting experiences in undertaking research and accessing research training (Saadi, Abbas et al 2018) and another reporting experiences of studying medicine in con ict (Turk, Aboshady et al 2016).…”

Section: Research Themes By Author Country Of a Liationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conflict-Related Population Health Research in Syria, 2011-2019: An Assessment of Information Gaps, Research Needs and Challenges, for The Lancet - AUB Commission on Syria

Abouzeid¹,

Elzalabany²,

Nuwayhid³

et al. 2020

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Backgorund. While there has been a growth of research on health and the Syrian conflict, most such research covers Syrian refugees. There is limited information about the scope and focus of research on health and population inside Syria. While there are several systemtic and scoping literarure reviews of health of Syrian refugees, there has not been a sccoping review of research literature on health issues inside Syria. Methods. As part of a broader scoping review covering January 2011 to December 2019, we examined English-language conflict-related research papers that studied health issues inside Syria and focused on Syrians or those permanently resident in Syria. We classified research articles based on the major thematic areas studied. We abstracted bibliometric information, study characteristics, funding statements and reported key limitations and challenges of conducting research. To gain additional insights or data, we examined separately publications reporting field and operational activities as well as personal reflections and narrative accounts of first-hand experiences inside Syria. Results. Of 2,088 papers identified in the scoping review, 708 (34%) exclusively focus on health issues of Syrians inside Syria, of which 350 (49%) are conflict-related with. Of conflict-related publications, 89 (25%) are research papers. Annual volume of research increased over time, from one publication in 2013 to 27 publications in each of 2018 and 2019. Damascus is the most frequently studied governorate (n=33), followed by Aleppo (n=25). Papers used a wide range of research methodologies, primarily quantitative (n=68). The country of institutional affiliation(s) of first and last authors are Syria (n=30, 20 respectively), the United States (n=25, 19 respectively) or the United Kingdom (n=12, 10 respectively). Themes most covered were health status, health system and humanitarian assistance, response or needs (n=38, 32, 26 respectively). Thirty one publications presented field and operational activities and eight publications were reflections or first-hand personal accounts of experiences inside Syria. Authors encountered contextual, methodological and administrative challenges in doing research on health inside Syria. Conclusions. Although it is commonly stated that Syria is among the most documented of recent wars, our analysis shows that a relatively limited number of research studies focused on health or populations inside Syria have been published over the nine years of the conflict. Beyond the need to increase the volume of research, it is important to address the knowledge gaps identified in this review.

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Section: Research Themes By Author Country Of a Liationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conflict-Related Population Health Research in Syria, 2011-2019: An Assessment of Information Gaps, Research Needs and Challenges, for The Lancet - AUB Commission on Syria

Abouzeid¹,

Elzalabany²,

Nuwayhid³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Many studies suffered from a lack of funding which ultimately generated limited data. There are many crucial investigations not conducted in most studies in Syria, and delayed treatment can occur due to the nancial hurdles which can affect patients' care dramatically (12)(13)(14)(15)(16). This re ects some of the negative outcomes that Syrians have endured, especially those who were affected by the war.…”

Section: Outcomes Of the Psychological Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also correlated with their different demographic and war-related variables. This study used self-reported questionnaires in light of lack of funding that medical research in Syria is facing and unavailable resources for proper diagnosis (12)(13)(14)(15)(16). This study also assessed for other variables and compared them with other studies for a better evaluation of the mental disorders among Syrians and refugees.…”

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confidence: 99%

Mental disorder and PTSD in Syria during wartime: a nationwide crisis

Kakaje

Zohbi

Aldeen

et al. 2020

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Background: Syria has experienced war since 2011, leaving over 80% under the poverty line and millions being displaced. War and its retaliations have significantly impacted the mental health of Syrians. This study evaluates the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the severity of the mental distress caused by war and other factors such as low social support. This study also evaluates other variables and compare the findings with multiple studies of Syria and refugees. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that included people who lived in Syria from different provinces. Online surveys on multiple online groups included Kessler 10 (K10) questionnaire, the Screen for Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (SPTSS) tool, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and demographic and war-related questionnaires. Results: Our study included 1951 participants, of which, 527 (27.0%) were males and 1538 (78.8%) aged (19-25) years. Among participants, 44% had severe mental disorder, 27% had both severe mental disorder and full PTSD symptoms, 36.9% had full PTSD symptoms, and only 10.8% had neither positive PTSD symptoms nor mental disorder on the K10 scale. Around 23% had low overall support. Half of the responders were internally displaced, and 27.6% were forced to change place of living three times or more due to war. Around 86.6% of the responders believed that the crisis was the main reason for their mental distress. Those with high SPTSS and K10 scores were found to take more days off from work or school due to negative feelings and having somatic symptoms. Moreover, the number of times changing places of living due to war, educational level, and being distressed by war noise were the most important factors for more sever PTSD and mental distress. No differences in PTSD and mental disorder prevalence was noted between provinces or type of job. A strong correlation (r=0.623) was found between SPTSS and K10 scores. Conclusion: The conflict in Syria has left the population at a great risk for mental distress which was more severe compared to Syrian refugees elsewhere. Many measures with an emphasis on mental health are needed to aid the people against a long-term avoidable suffering.

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“…Another report shed light on the attitudes, barriers, and practices of medical research among medical students in Damascus University and had found comparable results (13). However, there is a lack of comprehensive evidence regarding research productivity of postgraduate medical and paramedical students in all of Syria (14). The aim of this study is to investigate attitudes towards research, perceived barriers, current needs, and previous research experiences of postgraduates in all medical and paramedical elds in Syria, and to compare them against different demographic determinants to lay the groundwork for suggesting fact-based solutions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical Research Conduct and Publication During Higher Education in Syria: Attitudes, Barriers, Practices, and Possible Solutions

Hanafi

Kassem

Hanafi

et al. 2021

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Introduction:The huge workload on doctors especially residents, who are the main healthcare providers in public hospitals, in addition to the vanishing incomes and lack of personal safety during the decade-long Syrian crisis, led to further hurdles for the focus on research. Postgraduate students in the medical and paramedical fields must conduct original research projects as part of their graduation requirements. However, that does not reflect on the research publications coming from Syria.Methods:A nation-wide cross-sectional study targeting medical, dental, and pharmacy postgraduate students who are at the phase of planning for their required projects. The questionnaire aimed to capture their attitudes towards research, perceived barriers, and previous research experiences.Results:The sample consisted of 429 residents representing about 21.5% of the target population. Nearly all the participants had positive opinion towards the important role of medical research and the significance of their participation. Agreement was also clear regarding perceived barriers including the lack of adequate training, and research facility. Seventy-one percent of the participants were not involved in any research before the time of their master theses, less than 13% of them had submitted an article for publication, and less than 5% had submitted more than one paper. Poor internet connectivity and poor reading and writing English skills were decisive negative factors in previous research experiences. Active mentors’ support and self-paced education on research skills had a significant positive impact on students’ research contributions with odds ratios of 2.24 [1.34-3.74] (P=0.003) and 2.28 [1.47-3.52] (P<0.001) respectively.Conclusion:The attitudes of postgraduate students towards research were quite positive but hindered by several obstacles. Further integration of research practical training in the curriculums, allowing long-distance mentoring, enhancing collaboration between peers, as well as narrowing the distance between students and mentors may significantly boost research productivity in Syria despite the conflicts.

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Medical research in war-torn Syria: medical students' perspective

Cited by 21 publications

References 7 publications

Conflict-Related Population Health Research in Syria, 2011-2019: An Assessment of Information Gaps, Research Needs and Challenges, for The Lancet - AUB Commission on Syria

Conflict-Related Population Health Research in Syria, 2011-2019: An Assessment of Information Gaps, Research Needs and Challenges, for The Lancet - AUB Commission on Syria

Mental disorder and PTSD in Syria during wartime: a nationwide crisis

Medical Research Conduct and Publication During Higher Education in Syria: Attitudes, Barriers, Practices, and Possible Solutions

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