Background: The shortfall of dermatology curricula during medical school greatly impacts the knowledge about common skin diseases and clinical skills. The lack of exposure to dermatology hampers the decision for students to consider pursuing dermatology and their preparation for matching. Purpose: The aims of this study were to assess the current state of dermatology curricula in medical school and to determine the relation of those factors to the selection of dermatology as a career. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2020 and May 2021 using a previously published questionnaire distributed to 25 universities across all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results: Out of 1411 participants, around half reported having only 1–4 h of basic and clinical dermatology lectures. Forty-four percent were required to rotate in dermatology. Half of the respondents were expected to treat acne, sexually transmitted diseases, herpes, and candidiasis after finishing the dermatology course. Students in clinical years (odds ratio [OR] = 0.6 and confidence interval [CI] = 0.39–0.92) and interns (OR = 0.54 and CI = 0.30–0.94) were more likely to consider dermatology as their future career. Having a dermatology program in their university tended to generate interest in dermatology as a career choice (OR = 2.24 and CI = 1.55–3.24). Compared to students who did not complete a core dermatology course, students who completed core dermatology courses were twice as likely to be interested in dermatology as a future career (OR = 1.91 and CI = 1.35–2.70). Conclusion: Including core dermatology topics in the medical curriculum can help address community health needs and give students needed clinical experience and a basis for considering dermatology as a career path.

Patients with ocular emergencies often visit emergency doctors before they visit an ophthalmologist. Therefore, emergency physicians must have adequate knowledge for preliminary diagnosis. We aimed to assess emergency resident doctors’ training in managing eye emergencies, as well as their level of confidence, competence, and equipment use skills in dealing with ocular emergencies. This cross-sectional, multicenter, questionnaire-based study included all emergency resident doctors in the Western, Central, and Eastern regions of Saudi Arabia. In total, 181 emergency residents were enrolled. Moreover, 28.2% received adequate training in the management of eye emergencies, and 72.2% reported that they received training from senior emergency medical staff. Overall, 14.9% of residents expressed confidence in handling emergency eye cases, compared with 66.3% who expressed less confidence. The prevalence of residents demonstrating confidence in the management of emergency eye cases was significantly high among those who received instructions on how to use an ophthalmoscope (p < 0.001), those who had been taught to use the slit lamp (p < 0.001), and those who expressed confidence in using the slit lamp (p < 0.001). We advise integrating basic ophthalmic clinical skills into emergency resident training programs to help gain greater insight, reduce the workload of ophthalmic services, and provide proper emergency eye care.

Background: Appropriate TB knowledge and good practice attitudes are substantial particularly among health care personnel because of great occupational risks during their daily activities. Therefore, TB prevention and control have become an important issue on training courses. This study mainly aimed to assess the level knowledge and practices of health practitioners toward pulmonary tuberculosis in Saudi Arabia. In addition we aim to assess the perception of health practitioners toward the role of CXR. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional online questionnaire-based study conducted in Al-imam medical clinics Saudi Arabia during 2022. Results: A total of 95 participants responded to our survey. Almost two thirds of the sample were general practitioners (n = 67, 70.5%). A total of 27 physicians (28.4%) reported seeing a positive result of pulmonary tuberculosis and 43 participants (45.3%) agreed on doing CXR with/without Microbiologic testing to investigate a suspected pulmonary TB patient. Almost half of the participants (n = 47, 49.5%) reported referring to isolation as the next step for positive cases. Conclusion: Generally speaking, there was a good understanding of TB and clinical knowledge among medical students and physicians which is particularly important for early detection, management and protective measures. Our results showed moderate knowledge regarding TB investigations and excellent knowledge in terms of dealing with positive or suspected cases. Key words: pulmonary tuberculosis, health practitioners, Saudi Arabia

A BSTRACT: Objectives: Cerumen production is a protective process for the ear canal. Cerumen impaction causes unpleasant symptoms. There are various cerumen removal practices. These include irrigation, application of softeners/solvents, mechanical removal, and micro-suction. However, during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic, some patients opted for some procedures, such as ear candling, which are not evidence-based. This study aimed to explore the awareness of ear candling among otolaryngology doctors and record cases with complications of such practice in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was developed after an extensive literature search, and distributed to otolaryngology residents, fellows, and consultants of different hospitals across the country. A total of 80 respondents agreed to participate in the study. Results: A total of 16 doctors reported seeing cases of ear candling, of which 13 patients had different complications, of which ear pain was the most commonly reported. The majority of participants (42.5%) thought the lack of medical access during lockdown enhanced the practice of alternative medicine for ear-related complaints in society compared to 35% of participants who had a neutral response regarding this idea and 22.5% who disagreed. Conclusions: Although the practice of ear candling is not widely spread in KSA, different types of ear complications were recorded by the otolaryngologist. We would like to encourage the doctors to report such complications, especially after the lockdown period.