Hamza Mohammad Abdulghani

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into healthcare, offering transformative potential across diagnostics, treatment, and clinical decision-making. As its adoption grows, understanding how medical doctors perceive and respond to AI, particularly in relation to their specialty, experience, and job security, is critical for effective implementation and acceptance. This study investigates the confidence of medical doctors in AI technologies and their role in healthcare, focusing on the impact of specialty, experience, and perceived job security. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 187 medical doctors across various specialties in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a final sample of 176 participants. The survey assessed awareness, confidence, and concerns regarding AI integration into clinical practice. The survey was conducted across multiple healthcare hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hospitals from both public and private sectors were included to ensure a diverse sample of healthcare professionals from different organizational structures. Results: A statistically significant association was found between specialty and confidence level (χ² = 14.5, p = 0.001). Among specialists, the majority (80%) reported high confidence in AI use compared to 45% of general practitioners and 38% of surgeons. Conversely, moderate confidence was most common among surgeons (46%), followed by general practitioners (35%) and specialists (13%). Additionally, participants with 11–20 years of experience reported the highest confidence, whereas those aged 55+ years showed the lowest perceived impact of AI on patient outcomes. Multivariate regression analysis identified specialty as the strongest predictor of AI confidence, with specialists being four times more likely to express high confidence in AI use (β = 0.89, p = 0.001) compared to general practitioners. Job displacement concerns negatively influenced confidence in AI, while age and years of experience had less impactful effects. Conclusions: The study concludes that addressing barriers to AI adoption will be crucial for enhancing its integration into healthcare and improving patient care. These findings underscore the importance of specialty-specific training and highlight the need for targeted educational programs, particularly for lower confidence groups such as general practitioners and surgeons. Lower confidence levels in these groups may result in a hesitant or incorrect use of AI tools, potentially compromising patient safety. Therefore, equipping all healthcare professionals with the necessary knowledge and confidence is essential for the safe and effective use of AI in clinical practice.

Background: Competence-Based Medical Education CBME becomes an essential requirement amongst medical education and practice societies. In response to the increasing call for national standard of Saudi medical education, the Denary of Saudi Medical Colleges developed “Saudi MEDs project ” in 2009, which aimed to have a national competence-based framework for medical schools. Purpose: This paper summarizes Phase II of the Saudi MEDs project, which aims to develop a comprehensive competence-based medical education framework for medical schools. This includes detailed statement of the essential learning outcomes and enabling competences for each domain identified in Phase I of the project. Method: Triangulation approach is utilized to increase the credibility and validity of research findings. The study consists of two-round Modified Delphi Technique; Focused Group interviews with stakeholders; and structural review by international experts. Results: The Saudi MEDs framework is expressed as a three-level model; six major themes related to a description of a physician's duties and obligations (Level1), seventeen essential learning outcomes of a physician (Level 2), eighty enabling competences to be fulfilled by all undergraduate medical programs in Saudi Arabia (Level 3). Discussion: The Saudi MEDs framework is expressed as a three-level model, which provides flexibility to ensures a school autonomy and diversity of contextual curricula. Also the study develop national consensus among stakeholders about the framework and its importance to develop and maintain a quality medical education and practice in the Kingdom. However, successful deployment of the Saudi MEDs required a strategic plan and roadmap.

Clinical examinations and practical clinical skills are essential to guide diagnosis and treatment. Competency-based medical education (CBME) is high on today’s medical education agenda, and competence has become the unit of medical education planning in many countries. With the rise of medical education in Saudi Arabia, The Saudi MEDs initiative began as a means of achieving national consensus and developing necessary learning outcomes for medical schools. The aim of this study is to evaluate the final-year medical students’ core clinical competencies and identify the gaps between clinical skills in the Saudi MEDs framework and students’ actual achievement. Online data collection from all fifth-year medical students, to assess their clinical and procedural skills by using Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores and using a self-administered questionnaire that has been developed based on the Saudi MEDs framework. Eight clinical competencies were chosen out of the 17 after consulting the experts in this field. OSCE scores were checked for correlation with their self-assessment scores. The total OSCE scores of 323 students were evaluated which showed 93% of students have passed all eight competencies. Also, 304 students responded to the self-administered questionnaire in the current Saudi MEDs competencies 323 (response rate=94.11). The students were confident in the majority of the eight clinical competencies of the Saudi MEDs framework. Saudi MEDs framework has ensured that Saudi medical or health care education adapted to changing demands, critical competencies are not overlooked, teaching and learning, and evaluation are appropriate at medical schools by implementing the competency framework.

A physical therapist may become infected while treating a patient since they are in direct contact with them or within a two-meter radius. In addition, physical therapists may feel that they are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection when applying rehabilitation practices, which often involve direct contact with patients. The physical therapist were surveyed on their level of anxiety and depression due to the Coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). The physical therapists were asked to complete two reliable and validated scales, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), to identify the presence of anxiety and depression in the participants. In addition, logistic regression models were used to determine the general characteristics of anxiety or depression. Among the 117 physical therapists who completed and participated in the study, 74 (63%) and 65 (55.5%) physical therapists reported having symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. The prevalence of overall anxiety levels was higher; mild (OR = 2.09; P = 0.08), moderate (OR = 2.26; P = 0.15), and severe levels six times as high (OR = 6.28; P = 0.1) in females compared to male physical therapists. Females, younger age, unmarried individuals, not having children, and not living with family showed a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression. Binary logistic regression analysis also revealed that the female gender, a single individual, and having no children were associated with anxiety and depression. A significant percentage of physical therapists reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, especially among females, younger age, single individuals, not having children, and not living with family. Thus, the mental health of physical therapists is suggested to be constantly and cautiously monitored, especially for those at high risk of developing psychological symptoms.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged healthcare systems worldwide. Various studies have revealed the negative impact of the pandemic on the education and mental health of medical students and residents. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical interns’ educational experience, clinical practice, and mental health. We also engage in a discussion on the compensatory methods that have been adopted to improve medical interns’ learning processes during the ongoing pandemic. This cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted at the King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from March to October 2020. The participants consisted of medical interns. The survey collected information on participants’ demographics, training, and the educational and psychological impact of the pandemic. The survey was distributed to 480 medical interns, of whom 345 (71.8%) participated. Most of our sample (75.6%) believed that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted their cumulative experience. Regarding the pandemic’s impact on training and education, it was found that the emergency department rotation was the most affected rotation (60.3%). The majority of the participants (55.9%) believed that all tracks have received equal education and the volume of patients seen by interns decreased by 91.9%. As for the compensatory methods, 73.3% reported the utilization of remote platforms. Regarding the pandemic’s mental health impact, 36% believed that it has affected their mental health, where increased stress levels were noticed in 47.8% of participants. Statistical significance was found in both Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores, which indicated that during the pandemic, 20.6% of the participants suffered from depression, and 13.9% had moderate to severe anxiety. This study highlights the negative educational and psychological impact of COVID-19 on medical interns. With emerging infectious diseases on the rise, recognizing the impact of COVID-19 on medical interns is vital to improving interns’ educational experiences and mental health during future crises.

OBJECTIVE: People with a high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus are primarily due to lifestyle factors and can be reduced by implementing awareness programs. Therefore, this study evaluates the diabetic awareness level, risk factors, and lifestyle behaviors among nondiabetic participants. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 538 nondiabetic participants based on American Diabetic Association (ADA) parameters via face-to-face interview. The sample was collected from five different primary health care centers from November 2019 to February 2020. The target population was nondiabetic with age e18 years and participants with other serious chronic illnesses, pregnant women, or unable to communicate effectively were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 538 participants without diabetes data were analyzed. of which 363 (67.5%) were males. Good, moderate, and insufficient knowledge of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus awareness was 34.6%. 52.4%, and 13.0%, respectively. The knowledge level in females' participants was significantly less than the males (OR=2.4; p=0.0005). About 44% had diabetic risk, and the prevalence of diabetes risk was significantly high in males (OR=1.7), obesity (OR=2.9), overweight (OR=2.3), and high blood pressure (OR= 2.2) (all p < 0.05). The risk of diabetes was increased in those participants who consumed more bakery items (p < 0.05). The diabetes risk score was negatively associated with diabetes awareness levels (r= -0.29. p= 0.063). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of diabetes in the general population can be prevented by proactive public health awareness campaigns, particularly among elderly age group, with lower educational level, physically inactive, and obese.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a major challenge for medical students’ learning and has become a potential stressor, with a profound influence on their psychological well-being. We aimed to determine the effect of the current pandemic on undergraduate medical students’ learning. We also explored the association of their stress level with coping strategies, educational, and psychological variables. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional design study, and participants were the 1st to 5th year medical students. A self-administered questionnaire (18 items) and a well-known Kessler 10 Psychological Distress questionnaire (10 items) were used to collect the data related to perceived stress with an association of educational, psychological, and coping variables. Results: The prevalence of overall stress was significantly higher (χ²= 16.3; P=0.000) in female medical students, ie, (40%) as compared to the male students (16.6%), and was highest (48.8%) during the 3rd medical year. It was also noted that the most effective strategy, embraced by students to cope with the severe stress, was “indulging in religious activities” (OR= 1.08; P=0.81). Furthermore, 22.3% of students had perceived severe stress as they did not prefer online learning. Similarly, those students who have not believed or refused the online learning or disagree in “there is pleasure in the study due to COVID” they have significantly higher stress (χ²=39.7; P=0.000) 21.5% mild, 17.8% of moderate, and 21.2% severe. Conclusion: We found that the COVID-19 pandemic has induced stress and changes in medical students’ educational attitudes and strategies. The results exhibited that the predominance of stress is higher in females than males, and also more stress was perceived by the students during their transitional year, ie, 3rd medical year (from pre-clinical to clinical) and also the respondents who regularly did religious meditation were at lower levels of stress. COVID-19’s influence on medical education and students’ well-being will be felt at an extended level, which necessitates an appropriate plan for preparedness.

Association of COVID-19 Pandemic with Undergraduate Medical Students’ Perceived Stress and Coping [Response to Letter]

Background: Video-sharing website “YouTube” is a growing source of healthcare information. But, the videos uploaded on this open platform are not peer reviewed, therefore, the information available needs to be sufficiently evaluated. No studies have been conducted to evaluate the authenticity and utility of obstetrics and gynecology (Obs/Gyne) physical examination YouTube videos. This study was performed to analyze the sources, contents, and quality of videos about the Obs/Gyne clinical examination available on YouTube. Methods: A systematic search was performed on YouTube website using the following key words: “OBSTETRIC,” “GYNECOLOGICAL,” “SPECULUM OBSTETRIC,” “OBSTETRIC CLINICAL,” “BIMANUAL PELVIC,” and “EXAMINATION” to analyze the sources, contents, and the quality of YouTube videos about the Obs/Gyne clinical examination during the period between November 2015 and March 2017. The videos were classified into educationally useful and useless based on the content, accuracy of the knowledge, and the demonstration. Results: Out of total 457 screened videos, 176 (38.51%) videos met the pre-set inclusion criteria. After review, out of 176 pertinent videos, 84 (47.7%) videos were found educationally useful, and out of these 84 useful videos, only 29 (34.5%) were highly educational in nature. Conclusion: YouTube videos showed variable educational value. Only, a small number of videos were identified as useful and can be used by the medical students for self-directed learning and by the clinical teachers for educational purposes or other academic activities.