Health Care Clinical Preceptors' Attitudes Towards Interprofessional Education in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

IPE fosters a dynamic learning environment that may promote students' knowledge, abilities, and collaborative approach towards addressing challenging clinical circumstances. While much has been reported in the literature regarding these diverse IPE learning environments, limited information exists regarding clinical preceptors' attitude and perceptions of IPE, especially in Saudi Arabia. Given the impact clinical preceptors have on the formation of healthcare students exploring their perceptions, which may impact their actions is imperative.

Methodology

The study focused on understanding the attitudes and perceptions of clinical preceptors towards IPE in a healthcare setting in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected via Email letter of solicitation (LOS) which included a link to the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) survey. The LOS was sent to all the health care programs in Saudi Arabia.

Results

The study surveyed 182 clinical preceptors. The findings revealed consistent favorable opinions towards "Teamwork and Collaboration". The majority of preceptors concurred that learning alongside other students would increase students' efficiency on healthcare teams and deepen their comprehension of clinical issues. The "Roles and Responsibilities" category, however, obtained lower ranks in general from the preceptors. Not surprising, differences in rankings were greatest between preceptors who had and did not have IPE exposure, there were significant variations in views toward "Teamwork and Collaboration", "Negative Professional Identity", and "Roles and Responsibilities". Preceptors exposed to IPE showed lower median ratings for "Negative Professional Identity" and "Roles and Responsibilities" and better median scores for "Teamwork and Collaboration".

Conclusion

The attitudes and perceptions of preceptors who had experienced IPE were more favorable toward IPE and thus may foster it more effectively in the students they work with. Therefore, ensuring that all preceptors are aware of and have experience with IPE is important as we seek to promote person-centered care.

Managing High Frequency of Ambulance Calls in Hospitals: A Systematic Review

Background

This study addresses the critical issue of high-volume emergency calls in hospitals, focusing on the strain caused by frequent caller patients on ambulance services. The aim was to synthesize various management methods for handling high-frequency hospital calls.

Methods

The systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and guided by the Cochrane Handbook for systematic reviews. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies focusing on the management of emergency departments in hospitals, exploring various medical conditions requiring ambulance attention, and reporting on the impact of a high volume of ambulance calls on hospitals. Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from January 1, 2005, to May 1, 2022. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklist.

Results

Out of 2390 identified citations, 18 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies, from 12 countries, presented diverse methods categorized into country policy-based management, modeling approaches, and general strategies. Key findings included the effectiveness of risk stratification models and community-based interventions in managing high call frequencies and improving patient care. Our review identified effective strategies such as risk stratification models and community-based interventions, which have shown significant impacts in managing high call frequencies, aligning closely with our objective. These approaches have been pivotal in reducing the burden on emergency services and improving patient care.

Conclusion

The study synthesizes effective management methods for high-frequency ambulance calls, including predictive modeling and community interventions. It highlights the need for multi-faceted management strategies in different healthcare settings and underscores the importance of continued research and implementation of these methods to improve emergency service efficiency.

Assessment of the Knowledge and Opinions of Undergraduate Health Care Students Concerning Influenza Vaccination in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Influenza remains a significant global public health challenge, causing substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite the availability of influenza vaccines, challenges related to vaccine hesitancy and healthcare professionals' attitudes persist. Furthermore, there is a need to understand the knowledge and opinions of undergraduate healthcare students regarding influenza vaccinations. Therefore, we aimed to assess and compare the knowledge and opinions of undergraduate healthcare students about influenza vaccinations, addressing the existing knowledge gap in this area.

Methods

We employed a cross-sectional study design to assess the opinions and knowledge of undergraduate healthcare students in Saudi Arabia regarding influenza vaccination. A total of 137 healthcare programs were invited to participate via filled-out the survey online. Data analysis was performed using SPSS, with descriptive statistics for the demographic profile and Chi-Square and independent t-tests for examining associations and differences in opinions and knowledge, respectively.

Results

A total of 429 undergraduate students completed the survey and were included. Significant associations were found between the students' major and their beliefs regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing influenza (p=0.017) and the inclusion of influenza vaccines in medical practice (p=0.016). The majority of students agreed with seven out of nine knowledge statements, with agreement percentages ranging from 42.9% to 44.8%. When comparing knowledge scores, students majoring in medicine had a significantly higher mean knowledge score (3.91) compared to students studying other medical sciences (3.72) (p=0.019).

Conclusion and Recommendations

Our study suggests that a comprehensive approach involving education, awareness initiatives, and policy changes is needed to enhance knowledge about influenza vaccination among Saudi Arabian undergraduate students in Medical School allied medical sciences and medical degree programs. By implementing these strategies, we can promote a positive attitude towards flu vaccination and ultimately increase its uptake.

First-Aid Knowledge and Attitudes of Schoolteachers in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Purpose

Schoolteachers are the main people to provide first aid in cases of health-related emergencies during school hours. In this review, we aimed to synthesize teachers' knowledge and attitudes about first aid in Saudi schools.

Methods

This systematic review was carried out in line with The Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed (via MEDLINE), CINAHL, and the Cochrane databases were searched between January and March 2021. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were (1) published in English, (2) conducted in school-based settings, (3) involved schoolteachers in Saudi Arabia, and (4) investigated first-aid knowledge and practice or assessed the effects of first-aid training interventions. The methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Cross Sectional Studies.

Results

A total of 15 studies were considered for this review with a total of 7266 schoolteachers. The majority of the included studies were of good quality. Most studies showed that teachers had inadequate knowledge of health-related emergencies in schools. Fourteen cross-sectional studies and one interventional study related to Saudis schoolteachers' first-aid knowledge and attitudes were included. Most of the participants had a supportive attitude toward students with health-related issues and were willing to attend first-aid training.

Conclusion

As a result of teachers' inadequate knowledge of first aid, accessible training packages for schoolteachers and administrators should be developed. Further interventional studies that include both male and female teachers, use validated tools, and include wider regions of Saudi Arabia are strongly recommended.

Knowledge and attitude of paediatric first aid among elementary schoolteachers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Introduction

Children at schools are at risk of getting injuries during their activities. In the absence of medical support and delays in ambulance arrival, teachers are the first responders to provide first aid when accidents occur. There is a lack of information about schoolteachers' awareness and knowledge about first aid administration. This study aimed to assess the current level of knowledge and attitude toward paediatric first aid among elementary schoolteachers in Jeddah of Saudi Arabia.

Methodology

This is a cross-sectional study. An online questionnaire-based survey was administered to teachers in primary male schools in the Jeddah region. Statistical analysis was performed using JMP software, continuous variables were presented as mean and standard deviation (SD), data for categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages and statistical tests ANOVA and Chi Square were also used. The P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results

A total of 221 male schoolteachers were interviewed online in our study. Most of the research participants were aged between 26 and 50 years and most had a bachelor's degree as the highest education (81.9%). In addition, half of the participants, that is, 50.2%, had between 20 years and 30 years of experience in teaching. Almost all the teachers (99.5%) heard about first aid with more than half (57%) attending training in first aid. The source of information for almost half of them (48%) came from social media and most of them (85%) agree that there is a need for first aid education.

Conclusion

Our findings reveal that schoolteachers know about the importance of first aid but lack the training and skills to administer first aid before the ambulance arrives. Therefore, there is an urgent need for proper first aid training for teachers and support staff to prepare them to deal with all the emergencies that most frequently arise at children's schools.

Targeting Bone Marrow to Potentiate the Anti-Tumor Effect of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor in Preclinical Rat Model of Human Glioblastoma

Antiangiogenic agents caused paradoxical increase in pro-growth and pro-angiogenic factors and caused tumor growth in glioblastoma (GBM). It is hypothesized that paradoxical increase in pro-angiogenic factors would mobilize Bone Marrow Derived Cells (BMDCs) to the treated tumor and cause refractory tumor growth. The purposes of the studies were to determine whether whole body irradiation (WBIR) or a CXCR4 antagonist (AMD3100) will potentiate the effect of vatalanib (a VEGFR2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and prevent the refractory growth of GBM. Human GBM were grown orthotopically in three groups of rats (control, pretreated with WBIR and AMD3100) and randomly selected for vehicle or vatalanib treatments for 2 weeks. Then all animals underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) followed by euthanasia and histochemical analysis. Tumor volume and different vascular parameters (plasma volume (v_p), forward transfer constant (K^trans), back flow constant (k_ep), extravascular extracellular space volume (v_e) were determined from MRI. In control group, vatalanib treatment increased the tumor growth significantly compared to that of vehicle treatment but by preventing the mobilization of BMDCs and interaction of CXCR4-SDF-1 using WBIR and ADM3100, respectively, paradoxical growth of tumor was controlled. Pretreatment with WBIR or AMD3100 also decreased tumor cell migration, despite the fact that ADM3100 increased the accumulation of M1 and M2 macrophages in the tumors. Vatalanib also increased K^trans and v_e in control animals but both of the vascular parameters were decreased when the animals were pretreated with WBIR and AMD3100. In conclusion, depleting bone marrow cells or CXCR4 interaction can potentiate the effect of vatalanib.