Publications by authors named "Ali J Buabbas"

Implementing a reform in medical education requires students' awareness regarding the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern medical practice. The objective of this study was to investigate students' perceptions of AI in medical education. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June 2021 to November 2021 using an online questionnaire to collect data from medical students in the Faculty of Medicine at Kuwait University, Kuwait.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined patient satisfaction and physical therapists' (PTs) experiences with telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Out of 53 patients, 46 showed high satisfaction levels, with 89.2% feeling more involved in their care and 93.5% finding video sessions convenient.
  • Many PTs recognized benefits such as decreased waiting times and better access to care, supporting the continued use of telerehabilitation alongside traditional methods, even with existing technological challenges.
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Background: Telepathology is the practice of reviewing and exchanging pathological images through telecommunication systems to obtain diagnoses remotely. Studying the factors that make such a system successful and favourable is important to ensure the merits of its implementation in clinical practice.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the success of a telepathology system from the users' perspectives, using specific evaluation criteria, namely: system quality, information quality, technical service quality, user satisfaction, and benefits.

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Background: With the magnitude and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual face-to-face consultation within a clinical setting is no longer feasible. Thus, this led to the need for alternate means to provide adequate patient care for surgical patients. This is where the role of smartphones comes into play, in which it is thus of paramount importance.

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  • The study focused on the prevalence and patterns of smart device (SD) use among secondary and high school students in Kuwait, examining its links to psychological distress.
  • Results showed significant differences in SD usage and addiction based on gender, school type, academic performance, and physical activity, with higher addiction correlating to increased stress, anxiety, and depression.
  • The authors recommend developing community and school strategies to mitigate excessive SD use and its psychological impacts on students.
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  • Telerehabilitation has gained attention as an effective alternative for providing physical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on physiotherapists' perceptions and willingness to use this method in Kuwait.
  • A survey and interviews were conducted to assess physiotherapists' views on telerehabilitation, with a significant number (86.8%) supporting its viability, despite concerns regarding technology access.
  • Analysis revealed that while many are willing to adopt telerehabilitation (89%), a lack of information and communication technology resources remains a notable barrier to implementation.
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Background: Children and adolescents are becoming the most prolific users of smart technology (ST) devices due to the numerous advantages presented by these devices. However, the overuse of ST devices can have detrimental impacts on health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of ST device use among school students in Kuwait and the possible associated health problems.

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Limited data exist regarding knowledge and perceptions of surgeons and patients about robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) in the Middle East. This study aimed to explore perceptions of surgeons and patients about RAS. A questionnaire-based survey was distributed among surgeons of different specialties and patients.

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Background: The adoption of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) requires a clear willingness, not only from healthcare organization to operate the robotic system but also from the public that is going to perceive it. This study aims to explore public's awareness, understanding and their perceptions towards RAS in Kuwait.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used a survey questionnaire that was disseminated on a tablet device to people at their convenience in governmental institutions.

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Background: The potential for smartphones to revolutionize the way that medical doctors practice has become a reality, particularly in specialities where visual examination is a principal step in assessing a medical case, like dermatology. Smartphones as devices hold similar capabilities to personal computers and laptops and could play an important role in supporting medical practitioners in clinical practice at the point of care and beyond. This study aimed to assess the role of smartphone technology use in dermatology practice in Kuwait, together with the potential of digital photography and users' concerns.

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Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is necessary to improve the practice of physical therapy. However, a lack of knowledge and skills among physical therapists and the presence of barriers may hinder the implementation of EBP in the State of Kuwait.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to extensively (1) investigate attitudes toward EBP, (2) assess the current level of knowledge and skills necessary for EBP, and (3) identify the barriers to EBP among physical therapists in the State of Kuwait.

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Background: The evolving role of pharmacists in providing pharmaceutical care, as part of the healthcare team, challenges them to acquire up-to-date knowledge of medicines to make the best clinical decisions. The volume of medical literature is on the increase, and it is important to utilise these resources to optimise patients' therapeutic outcomes. This study aimed at assessing the readiness of government hospital pharmacists in practising evidence-based medicine (EBM) in Kuwait in regards to their attitude, knowledge and skills, as well as the perceived barriers and facilitators.

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Background: In medical education, information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge and skills have become a necessity and an integral part of preparing tomorrow's doctors to be sufficiently competent to use informatics resources effectively and efficiently for the best practice of medicine.

Objective: This research aimed to study the literacy of the preprofessional students in ICT before and after taking the basic informatics course at the Health Sciences Center at Kuwait University, to understand their potential and their attitudes toward using ICT, including e-learning.

Methods: A validated questionnaire was used to collect data from 200 students in 2 stages: before and after the informatics course on the preprofessional program.

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Background: Picture archiving and communication system (PACS) is a well-known imaging informatics application in health care organizations, specifically designed for the radiology department. Health care providers have exhibited willingness toward evaluating PACS in hospitals to ascertain the critical success and failure of the technology, considering that evaluation is a basic requirement.

Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the success of a PACS in a regional teaching hospital of Kuwait, from users' perspectives, using information systems success criteria.

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