(1) Background: Perceived disease-related self-efficacy is considered a fundamental component of the successful self-management of chronic diseases. Prior studies have found that self-efficacy is associated with improvements in health behaviors and health status among people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, few studies have evaluated self-efficacy among patients undergoing dialysis. (2) Methods: This study was performed to evaluate CKD patients’ self-efficacy and to determine the factors that significantly affect self-efficacy among dialysis patients. This was a cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of 190 patients undergoing dialysis. The patients’ self-efficacy was measured using the CKD Self-Efficacy Scale. Inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. (3) Results: The mean age of the participants was 49.24 ± 13.15 years. Almost half of them were males (48.4%), and 75.3% were married. The majority of the patients (83%) were undergoing hemodialysis. The total score for self-efficacy was 192.57 ± 39.23. Only occupational status and the type of dialysis were significantly and positively correlated with patients’ perceived self-efficacy scores. (4) Conclusions: This study provides primary evidence of the perceived self-efficacy among CKD patients who are on dialysis. The results of this cross-sectional study showed that greater self-efficacy was associated with employment and peritoneal dialysis. Strategies to enhance self-efficacy among dialysis patients, especially those on hemodialysis, are needed.

Aim: The new trend in the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is based on the adoption of self-management approaches. However, there is a paucity of research assessing the level of self-management behavior among non-dialysis patients. The aim of the study is to assess the association between self-management behaviors and the level of disease-specific knowledge among non-dialysis CKD patients. In addition, this study aimed to assess the predictors of self-management among non-CKD patients. Methods: A convenience sample of 203 non-dialysis patients with stage 3–5 CKD was surveyed from the nephrology clinics in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean level of knowledge and self-management was 17.9 ± 3.2 and 76.9 ± 13.3, respectively. The results of the multiple regression of self-management showed that knowledge was independently associated with self-management (r = 0.51, **, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that knowledge and self-management were associated with each other in non-dialysis patients. More efforts are needed to track and enhance the knowledge levels in patients with CKD. Future research should focus on the effectiveness of educational programs of self-management behavior.

Coronavirus-2019 disease (Covid-19) is a contagious respiratory disease that emerged in late 2019 and has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global pandemic in early 2020. Since then, researchers have been exploring various strategies and techniques to fight against this outbreak. The point when the pandemic appeared was also a period in which Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) algorithms were competing with traditional technologies, leading to significant findings in diverse domains. Consequently, many researchers employed ML/DL to speed up Covid-19 detection, prevention, and treatment. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art ML/DL tools used, thoroughly evaluating these techniques and their impact on the battle against Covid-19. This article aims to provide valuable insight to the researchers to assess the use of ML against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Musculoskeletal wounds are challenging to treat. Vacuum therapy (VT), based on the principle of applying negative pressure to a wound, has gained popularity as an adjunctive treatment modality for musculoskeletal wounds. Clinical studies have shown that VT improves wound bed preparation, reduces wound size, accelerates healing rates, and decreases time to wound closure. It is also associated with a lower risk of wound complications, such as infection, dehiscence, and seroma formation. The integration of VT into a comprehensive wound management approach has the potential to improve outcomes for patients with musculoskeletal wounds. This review provides a comprehensive overview of VT for musculoskeletal wound care. The review discusses the current practices, mechanism of action, benefits, risks, and future directions of VT. The review concludes that VT is a valuable tool for the treatment of musculoskeletal wounds, and that it is safe and effective for most patients.