Background: This study aims to investigate whether initiating a cross-hospital bed management system makes a difference in the number of admissions and bed occupancy rates at a selected hospital and how, if at all, the average length of stay is reduced in specific hospital departments. Methods: The study included all sequentially hospitalized patients between June 1, 2016, and June 30, 2019. Results: The total number of patients who were admitted to a referred medical complex between June 2016 and July 2019 was 20,749. The inpatient days after the initiative show a statistically significant increase compared to inpatient days before the initiative (137,630 vs. 72,930 days, respectively). Additionally, bed occupancy rates (BOR) after the initiative had a significant increase compared to BOR beforehand (50.5% vs. 26.6%, respectively). Following the bed management program, bed turnover rates (BTR) had doubled relative to BTR before (27.7% vs. 13.8%, respectively). Inpatients were more likely to... Continue Reading

Background: There is an increasing demand for services from the emergency department (EDs), which has limited resources. The triage process is the key determining step for prioritization in EDs, especially during pandemics. This study aimed to assess public awareness of the triage process in EDs and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on awareness levels. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed from August to October 2020. Data were collected using an online survey that was randomly distributed to the public in Saudi Arabia using social media. Results: Of the 1,047 people who received the survey, 687 (66%) completed it. The majority of the respondents (80%) knew why some patients were taken to a room before others, even though they may not have waited as long, and 85.3% thought this was fair. However, only 52% knew exactly what triage meant. Some factors seemed to significantly influence the level of awareness, such... Continue Reading

Background: An increase in the number of visitors to the emergency department (ED) leads to overcrowding, long wait, and patient dissatisfaction. It is important to implement the decision-making process to avoid congestion and nonurgent cases. This study aims to assess patients' knowledge and attitude about the triage system and waiting times in ED. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the ED at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using an online questionnaire form for all participants who met the inclusion criteria. Results: In this study, 389 participants with mean age of 33.77 (SD =12.96) years were included, of them 54.2% were males. Moreover, only 15.2% of patients reported having primary care doctor or health providers among whom 41.9% reported that they tried to call their primary care doctor before coming to the ED. Moreover, 66.2% of participants reported having no knowledge about triage.... Continue Reading

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has induced a substantial burden on healthcare organizations, with increased workload and stress for healthcare providers. Healthcare professionals working on the frontline are vulnerable to stress, putting their psychological and mental wellbeing in considerable jeopardy. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using data collected from a self-administered questionnaire that was distributed electronically to healthcare workers. The validated Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) were used to measure the level of stress of the healthcare professionals and the psychological impact of the pandemic on them. Results: Two hundred and thirteen participants were included. A third of the responders (34.3%) were previously infected with COVID-19, while 72.3% had to self-isolate during the pandemic. The average score for the K10 questionnaire was 24.8 ± 9 out of 50, where almost a third of the responders (33.3%) had very high psychological stress levels. The average... Continue Reading

Background: Drug abuse is a public health problem in any country and road safety in particular as it poses serious consequences while driving, affecting the safety of all road users. This study aimed to investigate the drug prevalence and alcohol abuse among motor vehicle crash (MVC) survivors. Methods: This descriptive study was based on a review of the retrospective chart involving patients that were admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of a level-I trauma center in Riyadh following an MVC. Injured patients in 2018 were identified from the electronic medical record system, and substance investigation was documented. After the hospital discharge, the research team contacted patients via phone to obtain further details about the nature of the crash and illegal substance use. Results: During the study, 209 patients were admitted to the ED following MVCs. The population was primarily males (84.7%) with an average age of 30 years. Forty subjects... Continue Reading

Aim: Simulation-based learning programs have become increasingly popular over the past 20 years to improve healthcare professionals' knowledge, skills, and attitudes while protecting patients from unnecessary risks and errors. However, recommended practices for simulations in healthcare are still unknown; hence this systematic review aimed to assess whether human simulations or machine stimulations programs would help prevent medical errors and improve patient safety. Methods: We searched for all the publications in the Medline, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases from January 2000 (when the idea of simulation in healthcare to prevent Medical Errors (ME) was employed for the first time by the Institute of Medicine) to Feb 2022 with only English language-based literature. The risk of bias from A randomized controlled trial (RCTs) was assessed through Cochrane's collaboration tool. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the quality of the cohort studies. The main outcome of this review was the... Continue Reading

Epistaxis is hemorrhagic bleeding from the nose or nasal cavity. It is one of the most common crises seen in ear, nose, and throat clinics and accident and emergency departments worldwide. This systematic review aims to collect the current evidence regarding the Saudi health-related students' level of knowledge and awareness toward epistaxis and its management obtained from cross-sectional investigations. Data were obtained through searches in PubMed and Google Scholar from 2017 until December 2021. Altogether, five articles were reviewed, scrutinized, and critically appraised based on the eligibility criteria, and relevant articles were selected. The sample size was hugely variable among these studies, ranging between 57 and 1,872 participants. As per our findings, most of the included studies showed a high level of knowledge and positive attitude. Focused nationwide programs should be planned to increase the level of knowledge among the Saudi health-related population. Continue Reading

Background: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), manifested as rapid and regular heartbeat, is the most frequent symptomatic tachyarrhythmia requiring medical intervention in children. SVT occurs in 1 in every 250-1,000 children. The heart rate can be as high as 180 beats/minute in children and 220 beats/minute in Infants. Evidence suggests that the primary dose of adenosine should be given as 0.1 mg/kg, administered in an intravenous bolus with a dose up to 6 mg. If the primary dose is insufficient, then the amount is increased by 0.1 mg/kg-0.2 mg/kg to a maximum of 12 mg. Our case demonstrates the response to adenosine after the third dose. Case presentation: A 12-year-old boy, previously diagnosed with recurrent SVT, presented with a complaint of palpitation for the last 30 minutes. There was no obvious trigger for his palpitation on history and examination. He was conscious, well looking with normal blood pressure, and good perfusion. We... Continue Reading

Background: Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) refers to multi-organ dysfunction caused by intraabdominal hypertension. A devastating condition that can lead to a 100% mortality if not treated. ACS is often underrecognized in the emergency department (ED) because it mostly affects patients who are critically ill and admitted in intensive or surgical care units. Case Report: In this paper, we report a case of a young patient with a history of recent surgical intervention but no past medical history who presented with recurrent cardiac arrest that failed to respond to aggressive management. It was initially unrecognized, but later ACS was considered in the differential and the patient was treated accordingly and eventually revived and had good neurological outcome. Conclusion: ACS is a rare but critical diagnosis that might be under recognized in the ED. With high rates of ED turnover, it is essential for ED clinicians to be aware of this disease... Continue Reading

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2020, National Health Emergency Center aligned itself to the Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and has played a key role to link the different health sectors in the country with Ministry of Health, through the use of state-of-the-art infrastructure, innovative digital technologies, location intelligence, data analysis, and real time data. Thereby, General Directorate of Emergency, Disasters and Medical Transportation - Deputyship of Curative Services, launched the National Health Emergency Operation Center, which integrates digital technologies to deliver substantial improvements to emergency healthcare management. Through real-time maps, apps, and dashboards, the innovative integration of different technologies has revolutionized the Center's operations by providing location intelligence and evidence-based analysis that shapes sound policy and saves lives. Disaster health management has become a key goal for every nation in order to reduce the impact of disasters on human health and wellbeing.... Continue Reading