The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December of 2019. Since that time, medical services in Saudi Arabia have adapted to the situation by delivering medical care via virtual clinics. Therefore, the aim of the study is to assess physicians' perception and the level of satisfaction with telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This was a cross-sectional study that included family medicine consultants and fellows who had used telemedicine in primary health care centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was conducted using an online validated questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed by 219 family medicine consultants and fellows, after obtaining their informed consent. The data that were extracted from the questionnaire included demographics, level of satisfaction, and questions related to their experience with telemedicine. Two hundred and nineteen participants enrolled in this study with 50.6% males and 49.4% females. The overall level of physicians’ satisfaction with telemedicine was 64.3%. However, only one-third preferred telemedicine over office visits. Of these, 60% were males and 40% were females. The only factor that had a statistically significant effect on the preference of office visits or telemedicine was time efficiency (p-value < 0.001). Of those who preferred office visits over telemedicine, 52% of them cited ease of discussion and the ability to make a comprehensive physical examination as the most important reasons for choosing office visits. Technologic issues were the least important factor for choosing either clinic (4.1%). Of those who preferred telemedicine, avoiding contact with patients suspected of COVID-19 was the most commonly cited factor (27.4%). Family medicine physicians face multiple barriers while using telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most commonly cited barrier was the inability to make a full and comprehensive assessment of the patient. In the setting of highly transmissible disease epidemics, telemedicine has a lot of potential for providing quick and safe care that is appropriate for screening and management. Based on our findings, using telemedicine should be encouraged by improving physicians’ skills in this field since telemedicine is a crucial step to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and provide community-wide treatment.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an infection that is caused by the novel coronavirus. COVID-19 has severely affected the public health by causing more than 200 million cases and four million deaths worldwide. There are, presently, no specific antiviral treatments for COVID-19. As immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions to prevent this infectious disease, a number of vaccines, around 112, have been developed. In Saudi Arabia, many vaccination campaigns have already started. There are currently four approved COVID-19 vaccines but only three are available for use in Saudi Arabia. This was a cross-sectional study in which a web-based survey was distributed to medical students in their clinical years at the College of Medicine in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 209 questionnaires were distributed. The survey assessed the demographic data, perception towards COVID-19 vaccine, barriers and predictors for accepting COVID-19 vaccine. Two-hundred and four respondents completed the survey with a response rate of 96.7%. Overall, 118 of the participants were males and 86 were females. Sixty-six percent of our participants had taken the vaccine. Of those, males and females were distributed equally in half. Fifty-three percent of the participants who had taken the vaccine aged 21-23. This age group had a significant effect on acceptance of the vaccine. Most common deterrent to taking COVID-19 vaccine was safety issues despite not having a statistical significance. In terms of motivators, the majority thought that fear of getting COVID-19 infection was the most important motivator to taking COVID-19 vaccine, which was statistically significant as well. In the setting of spreading COVID-19 infection, the vaccine is still the solution to halting infection spread. Based on our findings, we see that there was a high acceptance rate (66.2%) of COVID-19 vaccine.

Globally, less than 10% of graduating medical students select pathology as a future career. Many factors were reported from different settings to influence the choice of pathology. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that determine medical students’ preferences in choosing pathology as a future career. This cross-sectional study surveyed students from three governmental medical schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire that contained demographic questions and items that addressed perceived factors that affect the choice of pathology was distributed to medical students. Collected data were analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp). A chi-square test was used to determine the association between independent variables and interest in pathology. Out of the 400 questionnaires distributed, 338 students completed the survey with a response rate of 84.5%. Overall, surgery (24%) and internal medicine (20%) were the most favored, specialties with only 5% of the students selecting pathology as their first choice. Patient-doctor interaction (72.2%) was perceived as the most important factor in not choosing pathology as a future career. Taking an elective course, younger age groups, and year in medical school were all significantly associated (p<0.001) with an interest in pathology. In this study, most of the students indicated surgery and internal medicine as their first specialty choices. Only 5% of the students chose pathology as their first choice. Two-thirds of medical students perceived pathologists do not interact with patients. A significant association was found between younger age groups, enrolling for a pathology course, and having an interest in pathology.

Given the high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) post-orthopedic surgery and the vital role of thromboprophylaxis in preventing VTEs, this meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy of thromboprophylaxis post major orthopedic surgery and the relevant safety measures. In this review, we conducted a computer-aided search of Google Scholar, PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, Medline, and EMBASE databases. We included all published randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that utilized enoxaparin, fondaparinux, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and aspirin for VTE prophylaxis in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), hip fracture surgery, and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) based on primary and secondary outcomes. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias. All statistical analyses were performed using Review Manager Software. A total of 23 RCTs were included with a total sample of 48,424 patients and an overall low risk of bias. The efficacy of enoxaparin in preventing VTEs in the TKA group was significantly better than fondaparinux. In the THA group, the efficacy of enoxaparin was significantly better than apixaban. The efficacies of fondaparinux, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and aspirin were comparable to that of enoxaparin in reducing VTE-associated mortality, major bleeding, and adverse events. In conclusion, we found that all included drugs were non-inferior to enoxaparin in VTE-associated mortality, major bleeding, and adverse events.