Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Medical Sciences

Use of Ergonomics to Control Musculoskeletal Pain among Dental Students at King Abdulaziz University: A Cross-sectional Study

Heba J. Sabbagh — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (MS-Pain) increases day by
day and is common among dental practitioners. The aim of this study
was to assess the relationship between ergonomics use and other
related factors in controlling musculoskeletal pain among dental
students and interns at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz
University through a validated self-administered questionnaire. It
was distributed among dental students from the fourth academic
year up to postgraduate level. The total number of respondents was
402, in which 202 (50.2%) were females and 200 (49.8%) were males.
Out of the total respondents, 337 (83.8%) reported musculoskeletal
pain and approximately 68% of respondents did not apply proper
ergonomics for preventing and reducing MS-Pain. Keeping a straight
back and maintaining physical activity are the two main factors that
are suggested to help in controlling MS-pain, and thus it needs to be
emphasized in the everyday clinical educational years

Justification for Head Computed Tomography in Pediatric Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Mawya A. Khafaji, Ranim Y. Nasr — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Imaging justification considers the risk–benefit ratio to avoid
unnecessary radiation exposure. The use of high-radiationdose imaging modalities, including computed tomography, has
increased. In Saudi Arabia, no clear guidelines exist for protecting
pediatric patients from unnecessary exposure to ionizing
radiation. We aimed to investigate the frequency of unjustified
head computed tomography scans among pediatric patients at
our hospital. In this study, we enrolled pediatric patients (0–14
years old) who underwent head computed tomography scans
between September 2015 and September 2017, and evaluated
the frequency of unjustified scans. Among the 1,109 scans, 40.6%
(n = 450) had no findings; of these, 68.4% (n = 308) were justified
and 31.6% (n = 142) were not. The majority of “no finding” cases
were from the emergency department; (285 [63.3%]) and
were from patients >5 years old (203 [45.1%]). Thirty percent
of “no findings” cases from the emergency department were
not justified and 19% were incompatible with the modality.
Approximately 40% of cases from the outpatient departments
were neither justified nor compatible with this modality. Our
findings highlight the need for regular auditing to justify scan
requests and a clinical decision system for medical imaging
using ionizing radiation

The Impact of Anesthesia Type During Cesarean Section on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes at Fakeeh Hospital

Eman A. Batayah — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The World Health Organization has highlighted the importance
of improving maternal and neonatal health. Their health could
be affected by the anesthesia type given during cesarean
section. The study aim is to assess the effect of spinal and
general anesthesia on maternal and neonatal outcomes during
elective cesarean section. Quantitative observational study
was conducted at Fakeeh hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 295
participants were included to spinal anesthesia group (n = 285)
and general anesthesia (n = 10). A purposeful sampling was used
to invite the study participants and structured questionnaire
was developed to assess the impact of anesthesia type during
cesarean section. The study results provide evidence that spinal
anesthesia is more practiced in healthcare settings compared to
general anesthesia. The results also showed an effect of general
anesthesia on maternal outcomes in which mothers had more
intra-operative blood loss, tachycardia, request for analgesia in
a short period and neonatal outcomes as low first minute Apgar
scores, low skin to skin contact, and low breast-feeding rates.
In conclusion, spinal anesthesia was the method of choice in
elective cesarean section due to its benefits for both mother and
newborn.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Well's Score in Clinically Suspected Deep Venous Thrombosis

Mawya A. Khafaji — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Wells scoring system for risk assessment of developing
Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) is primarily designed to be used
in the outpatient settings. We aimed to determine the validity,
discrimination ability, and clinical utility of Wells scoring system
in risk stratification of patients suspected of DVT in an inpatient
setting in Saudi Arabia as compared to another outpatient
population. All Patients who underwent lower limb Doppler
ultrasound at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between
January 2016 and July 2017 and were suspected to have DVT
are included. A total of 1934 clinically-suspected DVT patients
are analyzed (34.6% males and 65.4% females). 53.62% were
outpatients and 31.8% were inpatients. Doppler ultrasound
confirmed DVT in 304 patients. Incidence of DVT in outpatients
was 5.9% for low probability; 8% for moderate probability; 18.5%
for high probability, whereas the inpatients had an incidence of
4.1% for low probability; 8.4% for moderate probability; 15.7%
for high probability. The negative predictive value of Wells score
in outpatients is 94.1% and 95.9% for inpatients. Results of Well’s
score demonstrate an excellent discrimination ability in ruling
out DVT in both the outpatient and inpatient settings.