Fall Prevention in Older Adults: Insights from Saudi Arabian Physical Therapists on the Otago Exercise Program.

Purpose: Falls among older adults are a growing public health concern in Saudi Arabia. The Otago Exercise Program (OEP) is an evidence-based intervention aimed at reducing fall risk in this population. This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of Saudi Arabian physical therapists toward the OEP and examined potential gender-based differences.

The Relationship Between Continuity of Care and Enhancement of Clinical Outcomes Among Patients with Chronic Conditions.

Background: Continuity of care is one of the main principles of family medicine, described as a relationship with a single provider that extends beyond a single illness episode. This retrospective study, conducted at King Saud University Family Medicine Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, aimed to investigate the impact of having a regular primary care provider on clinical outcomes and preventive service delivery for patients with diabetes and/or hypertension.

Methods: The study, spanning 2017 to 2019, included 400 patients diagnosed with diabetes and/or hypertension for at least six months before the 6-month pre-attachment period to regular family medicine physicians in 2018.

Biomarkers of Physical and Mental Health for Prediction of Parkinson's Disease: A Population-Based Study from 15 European Countries.

Objectives: Early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is critical for optimal treatment. However, the predictive potential of physical and mental health in PD is poorly characterized.

Methods: We evaluated the potential of multiple demographic, physical, and mental factors in predicting the future onset of PD in older adults aged 50 years or older from 15 European countries.

Association Between Musculoskeletal Pain and Frailty Over Time in Older Adults.

Background And Purpose: There is a high frequency of frailty in patients with musculoskeletal pain. Pain from osteoarthritis and lower back pain may be associated with frailty. However, the future risk of frailty among older adults with pain remains unclear.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Nurses toward Risk Factors and Prevention of Falls in Older Adult Patients in a Large-Sized Tertiary Care Setting.

The objective was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses toward the prevention of falls in older hospitalized patients. A cross-sectional study employing a 54-item questionnaire was conducted on 370 nurses at a tertiary care referral center. The mean age of the study population was 36.

The quality of life in Alzheimer's disease is not associated with handgrip strength but with activities of daily living-a composite study from 28 European countries.

Objectives: The relationship between handgrip strength (HGS) and quality of life is inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential association between HGS and quality of life in the settings of ageing and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: We investigated the HGS, CASP-12 (control, autonomy, self-realization, and pleasure) measure of quality of life, and physical capacity in European adults above 50, including controls (n = 38,628) and AD subjects (n = 460) using the survey of health, ageing, and retirement in Europe (SHARE; 2022).

Allergic rhinitis guidelines knowledge, attitudes, and practices among primary health care physicians: A national multicentre cross-sectional study.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is considered one of the most common reasons for patients visiting primary health care clinics. Physicians' adherence to management guidelines for AR results in better patient outcomes. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary health care practitioners (PHCPs) towards allergic rhinitis guidelines in Saudi Arabia.

Is There an Association between Increased Stress and Smartphone Addiction? Insights from a Study on Medical Students from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Smartphone addiction is prevalent among medical students, and there is a concern that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic fueled a rise in smartphone addiction. Earlier studies suggest a link between excessive smartphone usage and negative outcomes such as depression, stress, and reduced academic achievement. However, there is a dearth of both local studies in Saudi Arabia and studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic exploring the prevalence of smartphone addiction and its association with academic performance, depression, and perceived stress, which is the purpose of the current study.

Association between non-communicable diseases and physical activity level in older adults visiting primary health care centers in Jizan, Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: To examine the association between the number of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and physical activity (PA) in older adults visiting primary healthcare centers (PHCCs) in Jizan, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on men and women aged ≥60 who visited PHCCs, Jizan City between June and September 2021. Eleven self-reported NCDs were identified and summed to produce a single score, and PA scores were calculated based on the self-reported PA Scale for the Elderly (PASE).

Empathy among Saudi Residents at a Tertiary Academic Center during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Association with Perceived Stress.

Background and Objectives: Empathy is an important attribute of a healthy doctor−patient relationship. Although multiple studies have assessed empathy in different countries, little is known about its levels among Saudi residents and its association with perceived stress. Objectives: To assess the levels of empathy and to identify if there is an association with stress in general and across the demographic and training characteristics of residents.

Predictors of Mortality in Home Health Care Service: Data from Saudi Arabia.

Objective: This study aimed to 1) report the prevalence of chronic conditions among Saudi people receiving long-term home health care (HHC) services, 2) identify the predictors of mortality among individuals receiving long-term HHC services, and 3) study the association between frailty and poor health outcomes among HHC users.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study.

Setting And Participants: A total of 555 participants were recruited from HHC services at King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Potentially Inappropriate Medications among Elderly with Frailty in a Tertiary Care Academic Medical Centre in Saudi Arabia.

This study aims to assess the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and to analyze the relationship between the PIMs and frailty among inpatient older adults aged 65 and above in Saudi Arabia. A retrospective cross-sectional study design was utilized during the period between April 2021 and April 2022 of all patients aged 65 years and above admitted in a public tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. Data on the number of medications and the use of PIMs were assessed using Beers’ criteria while the frailty status was assessed using the “FRAIL Scale”.

Medication Adherence Among Geriatric Patients with Chronic Diseases in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Medication non-adherence is a common and significant public health problem, especially among the geriatric population. This study's objective was to measure medication adherence and associated factors among geriatric patients with chronic diseases.

Methods: A cross-sectional study targeted outpatient geriatrics who suffer from chronic diseases at King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Diagnostic Yield of Abdominal Ultrasounds Requested by Family Physicians at an Academic Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Abdominal ultrasound is a non-invasive, relatively inexpensive, and widely available diagnostic modality in family medicine settings.

Objectives: Our study aimed to identify the most common indications for requesting abdominal ultrasounds by family physicians, determine the frequency of abdominal ultrasound with abnormal findings, identify the most common findings, and determine patients' characteristics associated with abnormal findings.

Methods: This retrospective chart-based study was conducted from January 2020 to June 2020 to analyze patients' abdominal ultrasounds reports requested by family physicians in 2019 at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Which Volunteering Settings Do Medical Students Prefer During a Novel Respiratory Virus Pandemic? A Cross-Sectional Study of Multiple Colleges in Central Saudi Arabia During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: Novel respiratory virus outbreaks are a recurring public health concern. Volunteering medical students can be a valuable asset during such times. This study investigated the willingness of medical students to volunteer during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the barriers to doing so, considering the possibility of exposure to COVID-19 and mode of contact.

Prevalence of Frailty in the Middle East: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

(1) We aimed to systematically search available data on the prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling elders in Middle Eastern countries. The results from available studies are cumulated to provide comprehensive evidence for the prevalence of frailty. (2) Methods: A meta-analysis was done.

Frailty, sarcopenia and health related outcomes among elderly patients in Saudi Arabia.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of frailty and sarcopenia among elderly patients in Saudi Arabia and explore if there are significant association between frailty and sarcopenia.

Methods: A total of 498 patients from public tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia participated in this descriptive cross-sectional study between March 2019 to June 2019. All participants answered a 5-part questionnaire, which includes demographic data, Edmonton Frail Scale, SARC-F and questions related to Activities of Daily living.

Quality of life in medical students with internet addiction.

Background And Objectives: Widespread use of the internet is a serious concern among university students worldwide. Internet addiction affects the students' physically and psychologically and poses social and environmental challenges to their well-being. This study was used to assess the levels of internet addiction among medical students at a major university in Saudi Arabia and to measure the quality of life among these students.

Efficacy of treatment methods for uncontrolled hypertension and its effects on atrial fibrillation: A systematic narrative review.

Objectives: Uncontrolled hypertension is a main predisposing risk factor leading to chronic atrial fibrillation (AF). Although several treatment methods for patients with HTN and AF were developed in past decades, further investigations of their efficacies are needed. This systematic narrative review presents an overview of studies reporting treatment efficacies in patients with HTN and/or AF.

Management of Frailty: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objective: To analyze and determine the comparative effectiveness of interventions targeting frailty prevention or treatment on frailty as a primary outcome and quality of life, cognition, depression, and adverse events as secondary outcomes.

Design: Systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA).

Methods: Data sources-Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified by a systematic search of several electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and AMED.

Effect of donor hypertension on renal transplant recipients' blood pressure, allograft outcomes and survival: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The effect of donor hypertension on the blood pressure of renal transplant recipients and the allograft outcomes are unclear. The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence about the effects of donor hypertension on renal transplant recipients' blood pressure, renal allograft outcomes and mortality.

Methods: Studies published from January 1960 to 31 January 2019 in English were identified through a systematic search of six databases; PubMed, Embase, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and CINAHL.

Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in saudi women with Type 2 diabetes: Is it affected by age, glycemic control or obesity?

Objective: Sexual dysfunction (SD), as a diabetes mellitus (DM)-related complication, is common among patients having diabetes. This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of SD in Saudi women with type 2 DM and to determine whether age, glycemic control, and obesity are associated with SD or not.

Methods: A total of 275 Saudi women with type 2 diabetes took part in this cross-sectional study and filled out the Female Sexual Function Index through a fill-coded questionnaire in primary care clinics in King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, in the period between January 2013 and May 2013.

Appraisal of the communication skills of residents in the Family Medicine Program in Central Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: To assess patients' perceptions of the communication skills of family medicine residents.  

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Data were collected from patients, seeing 23 residents from 4 family medicine residency programs in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia namely, King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh Military Hospital, Security Forces Hospital, and King Abdul-Aziz Medical City.