Relationship Between Socio-Demographics, Study Skills and Distress Among Pakistani School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: The increasing prevalence of distress among students is of global concern. Several factors such as school and family environment and ineffective study skills could influence mental health. The study explored the rate of distress symptoms among school students' and its relationship with their study skills, stressors and demographic factors.

The learning environment of four undergraduate health professional schools: Lessons learned.

Background And Objectives: Learning is an interplay between cognition and environmental factors. Any learning environment, that fulfills the intrinsic and extrinsic needs of the students will probably lead to better and more promising learning outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the student perceptions of Learning Environment (LE) in four health schools of a large university and compare between schools, years of study, and gender.

Correlates of emotional intelligence: results from a multi-institutional study among undergraduate medical students.

Background: Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to deal with your own and others emotions. Medical students are inducted into medical schools on the basis of their academic achievement. Professionally, however, their success rate is variable and may depend on their interpersonal relationships.

A history of childhood maltreatment among spouses predicts violence against women.

Background And Objectives: Violence against women (VAW) is a worldwide problem that adversely affects women physically, psychologically, sexually, and financially. The aim of this study was to investigate (1) the rate of self-reported physical violence from husbands among women who presented to outpatient clinics of a major teaching hospital (2) the variables associated with VAW and (3) the pattern and the consequences of abuse on the victims' health.

Design And Settings: This cross-sectional study was conducted over a 6-month period, commencing in December 2009 at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine for children: a parents' perspective.

Objectives: The present study aims to detect the frequency and types of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies used for children and to explore parental motivating factors for using CAM for their children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Participants And Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that involved 462 families selected through a multistage cluster-sampling technique covering Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. The sample was selected from 40 clusters, distributed proportionally according to the size of the population in the catchment area of primary health care centres (PHCCs).

The prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms from an Arabian setting: a wake up call.

It has been shown that medical students have a higher rate of depressive symptoms than the general population and age- and sex-matched peers. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among the medical students of a large school following a traditional curriculum and its relation to personal background variables. A descriptive-analytic, cross-sectional study was conducted in a medical school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Effective teaching in medical schools. Guiding principles.

Clinical teachers have high qualifications in their specialty, but some of them do not have training, or proficiency in teaching, and education. Therefore, they may face the challenge of effective teaching in their daily practice. The objective of this study is to present some basic guiding principles for novices and expert academic health professionals.

A practical discussion to avoid common pitfalls when constructing multiple choice questions items.

This paper is an attempt to produce a guide for improving the quality of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) used in undergraduate and postgraduate assessment. Multiple Choice Questions type is the most frequently used type of assessment worldwide. Well constructed, context rich MCQs have a high reliability per hour of testing.

Traditional healers in Riyadh region: reasons and health problems for seeking their advice. A household survey.

Objectives: The objectives were to study sociodemographic characteristics of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) visitors, rate of their visits, health problems, and reasons for the visits.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Setting: This study was conducted in Riyadh city and its suburbs.

Evaluation of three instructional methods of teaching for undergraduate medical students, at king saud university, saudi arabia.

Background: There is an international move from traditional curriculum towards the learner - centered, and patient-oriented curriculum. In spite of its advantages, problem-based learning requires a larger number of teaching staff and space. This study was done to compare the problem-based learning (PBL), lectures and modified PBL methods.

Prevalence and pattern of alternative medicine use: the results of a household survey.

Background And Objectives: Alternative medicine (AM) encompasses all forms of therapies that fall outside the mainstream of medical practice. Its popularity is on the increase. Because previous surveys were limited and not generalizable, we estimated the prevalence, pattern and factors associated with use of AM in the community.

The prevalence of abnormal results of annual investigations among diabetic patients with different risk factors.

Background: The basic theme of this study was to promote the use of risk approach and encourage selectivity in requesting laboratory investigations. The objective was to estimate the proportion of abnormal results obtained from routinely requested annual investigations among the whole study population, and the odds ratios of abnormal test results among patients with certain risk factors.

Patients And Methods: A total of 459 diabetic patients aged 12 years and over, attending the primary care clinics of a university hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were included in the study.

Audit of prescribing patterns in Saudi primary health care: What lessons can be learned?

Background: The prescription of drugs is one of the most important factors in the rising costs of health services. The lack of proven benefit, and the definite cost and side effects of many prescriptions, have been found in many studies. The aim of the present study is to assess the prescribing pattern of primary health care (PHC) physicians in Riyadh city, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Sleep duration and its correlates in a sample of Saudi elementary school children.

Introduction: This study was conducted to estimate sleep duration in Saudi elementary school children, sleep habits and practices that may affect it, and compare our results to published data in other societies.

Methods: Parents of elementary school children were surveyed regarding their children's bedtime, rise time, sleep duration at night and daytime nap duration during weekdays and weekends. A questionnaire inquiring about demographical data, specific sleep problems and habits, and home environment was completed by the parents.

Outpatient management of type 2 diabetic patients: a review of evidence-based literature.

Diabetes mellitus is a common, serious, and treatable disease. Good control is associated with fewer complications. The impact of the disease on the patient, family and the community psychologically and physically is staggering.

The criteria and analysis of good multiple choice questions in a health professional setting.

Assessment of health workers as students and professionals has a profound impact on their learning and is an essential safety valve before certification. It is used for their training, their placement, their certification, and their promotion. The multiple choice question MCQ type of tests represents one of the most important examination tools that is commonly used in this assessment.

Community-based family medicine course: does it have impact on students' learning achievements, attitude and career choice?

Objective: To assess the impact of a six-week Family Medicine (FM) course on students' self-assessment of their own knowledge, skills and their attitude towards innovative learning methods and career choice before and after the course, and their evaluation of different aspects of the course curriculum.

Design: An observational study, where the study subjects were requested to fill out a standardized five-point Likert scale questionnaire at the start and at the end of the course. The questionnaire explored their knowledge and attitude in addition to their general evaluation of the course.

Students evaluation of a traditional and an innovative family medicine course in Saudi Arabia.

This study compares students' evaluation of a traditional and an innovative undergraduate family medicine (FM) courses. The old curriculum was traditional and teacher-centered. Changes in-line with the innovative learning concepts were introduced.

Students' perceptions towards a family medicine attachment experience.

Objective: To explore the students' perceptions about their experience in a family medicine (FM) preceptorship in order to provide a sound basis for offering guidance to family medicine undergraduate education.

Methods: During one full academic year at King Saud University, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a self administered questionnaire was distributed to all students (n = 177) at the end of each 6 weeks family practice attachment course. Students were asked to rate their attachment by responding to a five-points Likert type scale questionnaire and other Yes/No questions reflecting different important points in teaching and training.

Screening for somatization and depression in Saudi Arabia: a validation study of the PHQ in primary care.

Objectives: Somatization, the tendency to seek treatment for medically unexplained physical symptoms, is an important issue in primary care practice. This study examines the somatoform, depression, and anxiety modules of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), a screening instrument for the identification of somatoform and other mental disorders. We also utilized the PHQ to measure the prevalence of somatization and co-morbid depression in Saudi Arabian primary care patients.

Compliance with appointment and medications in a pediatric neurology clinic at a University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Objective: The objectives of the study are to estimate the rate of epileptic patients` compliance with appointments and medications in a pediatric neurology clinic. Also to study the factors associated with non-compliance and to determine the parents` perceived reasons for non-compliance with appointments.

Methods: It is a prospective study in which 147 epileptic children who attended the neurology clinic during the first 12-months of the study period were included.

Compliance with appointments and medications in a pediatric neurology clinic at a University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Objective: The objectives of the study are to estimate the rate of epileptic patients' compliance with appointments and medications in a pediatric neurology clinic. Also to study the factors associated with non-compliance and to determine the parents' perceived reasons for non-compliance with appointments.

Methods: It is a prospective study in which 147 epileptic children who attended the neurology clinic during the first 12-months of the study period were included.